Bordeaux

French Wine Law

In 1935, the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO) was created to delimit and enforce France’s wine appellation system.

The Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée system, using early, self-imposed guidelines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape as a model, stipulated limits on yields, vineyard density, training and pruning techniques, grape varieties, methods of production, minimum alcohol levels, minimum must weights, and the geographical boundaries of each appellation. AOC wines must pass a tasting panel. The Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) became a model for many other European appellation systems, as France’s controlled appellations assured authenticity and, to a degree, style. The INAO awarded the first AOCs in 1936; by 2017, 363 AOC appellations were granted for wine and brandy, while nearly 100 more were awarded to agricultural products (such as cheese and other foods). Over 75% of France’s wines and eaux-de-vie were released as AOC—hardly the intention of the system’s original proponents, who wished to protect and enshrine France’s most valuable wines. Like most appellation systems, France’s AOC had become a bloated category and one not necessarily indicative of quality.

In 2007, the INAO, which oversees the protected appellations of wines, spirits, cheeses, and other foodstuffs, became the L’Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité—although it retained its former acronym. The INAO brought its appellation system in line with new EU standards in 2009 and established the category of Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP). French AOPs fall within the EU’s Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) category, and the existing AOC and the new AOP designations