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French Legislation
France is one of the oldest wine-producing regions of Europe. The production
of wine in France has its origins in the 6th century BC. During the Middle
Ages, monks maintained vineyards and, more important, wine making knowledge
and skills during that often turbulent period. Monasteries had the resources,
security, and motivation to produce a steady supply of wine for both celebrating
mass and generating income.
Over time the nobility acquired extensive vineyards. However, the French
Revolution led to the confiscation of many of the vineyards owned by the
Church and others. Despite some exports from Bordeaux, until about 1850
most wine in France was consumed locally. People in Paris drank wine from
the local vineyards, people in Bordeaux drank Bordeaux, those in Burgundy
drank Burgundy, and so on throughout the country. The spread of railroads
and the improvement of roads reduced the cost of transportation and dramatically
increased exports.
France now produces the most wine by value in the world (although Italy
rivals it by volume and Spain has more land under cultivation for wine
grapes). Bordeaux wine, Bourgogne wine, Val de Loire wine and Champagne
are important agricultural products.
A number of laws to control the quality of French wine were passed in
1935. They established the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée system,
which is governed by a powerful oversight board (Institut National des
Appellations d'Origine - INAO). Consequently, France has one of the oldest
appellation systems for wine in the world, and strictest laws concerning
winemaking and production.
With European Union wine laws being modelled on those of the French, this
trend is likely to continue with further EU expansion. French law divides
wine into four categories, two falling under the European Union's Table
Wine category and two falling under the EU's Quality Wine Produced in
a Specific Region (QWPSR) designation.
The categories are:
Table wine: Vin de Table - Vine and producer are from France.
Vin de Pays - Carries with it a specific region within France (for example
Vin de Pays d'Oc)
QWPSR: Vin Délimité de Qualité Superieure (VDQS) - Less strict than AOC,
not often used
Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) - Wine from a particular vineyard
(terroir) with many other restrictions, including grape varieties and
rules for the vinification. Today there are 450 different wine appellations
in France, yet only 15% of all French wines enjoy the marketing benefits
of AOC's.
Labeling practices
The labels on a bottle of French wine often carry important information
that can help the consumer evaluate its potential quality. Following are
some potentially important phrases:
"Mis en bouteille au..." château, domaine, or propriété indicate
the wine was actually made at the same location as it was grown.
"Mis en bouteille dans nos caves" or "mis en bouteille dans nos chais"
means that it was probably bottled in a different place than it was grown,
using grapes traded and bought on the open market.
