Wine Classification
The French Wine Classification
To reach the top classification level in the French system and qualify to be labeled as an “Appellation d’Origine Contrôllée” wine the wine has to fulfill criteria in seven categories. These categories are:
- the land in which the grape is grown,
- the variety of grape
- the degree of alcohol in the wine,
- the yield of the vineyard,
- the way in which the vineyard owners grow and harvest the grapes,
- the way the wine is actually made
- taste test plus certain technical tests.
Each year many wines are refused the AC label because they failed to satisfy on or more criteria. For example, if a vineyard owner exceeds the maximum planting density or fails to prune the vines according to the prescribed method they might fail.
The French wine laws are idiosyncratic, a little obscure and with the exception of Alsace, the grape variety cannot be mentioned on the label of AC (Appellation Controllée) wines. So whilst South American Malbec is easily recognised on the supermarket shelf, the wines of Cahors, made from the same grape, remains a mystery to most consumers. Not only that but the scope for confusion in a country with 450 AOCs, and 140 vins de pays is substantial. Bordeaux alone has over 50 separate appellation names which can be on the bottle!
The proclaimed aim of the French wine appellations is to safeguard both the geographic origins of specific wines, and to control their “typicity” but restricting the grape varieties which may be used for a particular wine, and sometimes even requiring a minimum or maximum percentage of specified grape varietals. It is also claimed that this provides a quality guarantee, but that is questionable.
However, you can be confident that, for example, a Cahors AC wine will have been produced in a specified area around the town of Cahors, and that it will contain at least 70% Malbec, the other permitted grapes being Tannat, Merlot and Jurancon Noir. There will also be some restrictions on yield (hectolitres per hectare), maturity (sugar) levels, and approved methods of pruning etc. That said, there is a wide variation in quality in this and most other appellations, but there will be some limited consistency in style, due to the grape varieties and climatic conditions.
In many ways the AC system is probably designed more to protect the authenticity and provenance of the wine, than to serve the needs of the consumer. (AC status started originally to prevent producers or merchants calling their wine “Nuits St Georges”, or “Champagne” or “Chateauneuf-du-Pape” when there was no connection whatever with those places.)
There are various levels of presumed quality:-
Vin de Table - few restrictions - can be blended from different regions, even different countries within the EU - usually basic wine.
Vin de Pays - probably the most widely seen label - especially from the Languedoc (Vin de Pays d’Oc) - restricted to specified, but often large geographical areas (e.g.Loire Valley) with few restrictions on grape varieties, but some control on yield and sugar levels. As such it includes many reasonable wines - and some gems because growers have used the relative freedom to produce wines which do not conform to the traditional style.
VDQS - Vins Délimité de Qualité Superieure - an Appellation Controllée but with wider limits on grape selection and viticulture than AC - generally used as a transitional stage between Vin de Pays and full AC - allowing producers to improve their techniques and to converge their approach.
Appellation d’Origine Controllée (AC or AoC) the strict control of many aspects of the wine production process, sometimes involving a “tasting” panel - but as this is administered locally it is unlikely to apply a very high threshold.
In Bordeaux and Burgundy there are further classifications - generally the more specific the AC name, the more limited are the producer’s options.
A cynic would suggest that the system relies more on political influence than on quality or character distinctiveness. I suspect few experts could consistently differentiate between the 14 appellations in Beaujolais, where every wine is made solely from the Gamay grape - and yet it was only a few years ago that the 14th was added - Regnié.
For the consumer the AC system does offer a limited indication of style and quality, but increasingly it is worth finding individual producers who make consistently good and interesting wines, regardless of the AC level. There are undoubtedly some fabulous Vins de Pays which outshine more prestigious AC wines, and often at a lower price.
The Italian Wine Classification
There is in excess of 3,800 different varieties of wine produced by all 20 regions of Italy. It's no wonder that Italy is the largest producer in the world. There are currently four different classifications that all of the wines produced in Italy fall within.
The highest classification is the DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita = Certification of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin), which was established in 1980. Initially five wines were promoted to DOCG status. They were Barbaresco, Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montelpulciano. Today there are currently 25 wines that have been given this highest classification. These particular wines must follow strict procedures. They have to be classified as a DOC for at least five years and they must surpass all other DOC wines in quality and characteristics. They must have characteristics related to the culture, environment, and climate. As you can see the guidelines for this classification are very strict.
The next classification is the DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata = Certification of Controlled Origin), which was created in 1963. There are approximately 300 wines classified as DOC located throughout Italy. This particular classification designates the production area. These wines must have attributes that are significant to the area they are from. These wines have similar characteristics and guidelines as the DOCG wines.
The most recent classification is IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica = Typical Geographic Indication). As the acronym suggests these wines are related to the particular production area. This classification was introduced in 1992 and it approximately has 120 areas in its classification. Since this is a recent classification these numbers should increase.
The last classification is VdT (Vino da Tavola = Table Wine). This classification is where most of the wines fall into. This basically means that these wines do not have any designation. The labels on these wine bottles are not permitted to list the vintage or grape variety. This doesn't mean that these wines are not extraordinary in quality. In fact these wines are excellent wines to drink. It is unfortunate that many wines in this classification can only be found in Italy and have not been exported to other countries.
In addition to these classifications all wine bottles must contain the name, producer's name and location, alcohol by percentage, and the contents in milliliters. D.O.C.G. wines must have a paper strip seal of guarantee.