Appellations of the World
An appellation is a geographical-based term used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown. Historically, the world's first vineyard classification system was introduced by the Hungarians in
European Union:
Protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI) and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG) are geographical indications (GIs) defined in European Union Law to protect the names of regional foods.
Districtus Austria Controllatus (DAC) is latin for controlled from
1. Weinviertal DAC for Gruner Veltliner
2. Mittleburgenland DAC for Blaufrankish
3. Traisental DAC for Riesling and Veltliner
Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), which translates as "term of controlled origin" is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, controlled by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO). The origins of AOC date back to the 15th century. The first modern law was set in 1919, when the Law for the Protection of the Place of Origin was passed, specifying the region and commune that a given product must be manufactured in, and has been revised on many occasions since then. In the Rhône wine region Baron Pierre Le Roy Boiseaumarié, from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, successfully obtained legal recognition of the "Côtes du Rhône" appellation of origin in 1937.
AOCs vary dramatically in size. Some cover vast expanses with a variety of climatic and soil characteristics, while others are small and highly uniform. For example, the Cotes-du-Rhone AOC "covers some 100,000 acres, but within its area lies one of the smallest AOCs, Château Grillet, which occupies less than 10 arces of land."
Vintners must choose whether to display their premier cru status or their AOC classification, unable to plainly display both. Oftentimes, distinguishing classifications requires knowledge of esoteric label laws such as "Unless the wine is from a premier cru vineyard, the vineyard name must be printed in characters no more than half the height of the ones used for the village name". The Wine laws of
1. Vin de Table- lowest tier for quality, it can come from anywhere in
2. Vin de Pays- regulates that the grapes come from within the boundaries of one of the
140 or so delimited regions and accounts for more than twenty five percent of the wine produced in
3. Vin delimite de qualite superieure (VDQS)- The third tier and is less than 1% of
total production. This is generally a temporary category used for probationary status for wines that have the potential to move up to the next tier.
4. Appellation d’origine Controlee (AOC)- This is the first and most famous tier. The
AOC controls: the grape variety, when to harvest, sugar content, yield, viticultural practices, vinification techniques and minimum and/or maximum alcohol strength of the finished wine. The use of the word
In German wine, quality is determined by several factors, including region of origin, whether sugar has been added, and the ripeness of the grapes. The best qualities are classified on the labels, specifying the Einzellage (a small region of origin) the wine is from, thus providing some information about the terroir. In
The 1971 classification of German wines divides them into the following groups:
Deutscher Tafelwein- The equivalent of table wine. They may be chapitalized.
Deutscher Landwein- German country wine
Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA) Wine from a specific region
Qualitätswein mit Prädikat - This highest level of the classification contains almost all
quality German wines. The wines must be produced from recognised grape varieties grown within one district, which must be declared on the label, and the grapes must reach a prescribed level of ripeness depending on the region and variety. The must weight (sugar level of the grape juice) is seen as a rough indicator of qualtiy. This does not necessarily determine the sweetness of the final wine, because the winemaker may choose to ferment the wine for longer. From 2007/2008 onwards, Qualitätswein mit Prädikat will be renamed Prädikatswein. QmP wines are ranked by ripeness as:
Kabinett fully ripened light wines
Spätlese a late harvest wine, may or may not be sweeter than kabinett
Auslese made from selected very ripe grapes, usually sweet
Beerenauslese individually selected overripe grapes often affected by noble rot,
Trockenbeerenauslese selected overripe shrivelled grapes often affected by noble rot
Eiswein (ice wine) grapes that have been naturally frozen on the vine, No Noble Rot
Eiswein BA (Eisweinbeerenauslese) containing noble rot. Better quality than Eiswien.
O.P.A.P.- (Onomasía Proeléfseos Anotéras Piótitos) 'Appellation of Origin of Superior
Quality' or the French 'V.L.Q.P.R.D.' There are 25 designations for this appellation, most of them for dry red and white wines.
O.P.E (Onomasía Proeléfseos Eleghoméni) 'Controlled Appellation of Origin' or the French 'V.Q.P.R.D.' There are currently seven qualified regions or products, all of them for sweet wine. Producers of OPAP and OPE wines have the option to use the term Reserve for white wines that are aged for two years (minimum of 6 months in barrel and 6 months in bottle) and red wines that are aged for 3 years (same minimums). Grand reserve can be used for white wines that age for three years or more (spending a minimum of one year in barrel and one year in bottle) and red wines that are aged for 4 years (spending a minimum of two years in barrel and two years in bottle).
Topikos Inos- (Local wine) is the Greek equivalent to the French Vins de pays. There are currently 139 qualifying appellations. Labels are permitted the use of confidence-inspiring domaine names so long as the requirement of sufficient locality is met.
Epitrapezios Inos- (Table wine) is equivalent to the French Vin de Table. Producers of Table wine have the option to use the term Kava (rough translation: cellared, which in Greece is a qualititative association) for white wines that are aged for two years (spending a minimum of 6 months in barrel and 6 months in bottle) and for red wines that are aged for three years ( spending a minimum of 6 months in new oak or 1 year in old oak barrels and two 2 years in bottle).
Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) is an Italian quality assurance label for food products and especially wines. It was instituted in 1963 and overhauled in 1992 for compliance with the equivalent EU law on (PDO). There are two levels of labels:
DOC — Denominazione di Origine Controllata
DOCG — Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita
DOCG regions are subterritories of DOC regions that produce outstanding products that may be subject to more stringent production and quality standards than the same products from the surrounding DOC region. Wines labelled DOC or DOCG may only be sold in bottles holding at most 5 liters. A notable difference for wines is that DOCG labelled wines are analysed and tasted by government–licensed personnel before being bottled. To prevent later manipulation, DOCG wine bottles then are sealed with a numbered governmental seal across the cap or cork.
Italian legislation additionally regulates the use of the following qualifying terms for wines:
classico: is reserved for wines produced in the region where a particular type of wine has been produced "traditionally".
riserva: may be used only for wines that have been aged at least two years longer than normal for a particular type of wine.
IGT Indicazione Geografica Tipica, for high-quality wines that do not fit DOC/DOCG regulations. Tipica is the second of four classifications of Italian wine, leading Vino da Tavola (Table wine). Created to recognize the unusually high quality of the class of wines known as Super Tuscans, IGT wines are labeled with the locality of their creation, but do not meet the requirements of the theoretically higher DOC or DOCG. It is considered the rough Italian equivalent of the French vin de pays designation.
Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) The world's second oldest appellation control was introduced in
Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada (IPR) DOC’s in waiting, like
Vinho Regional Similar to
Vinho de Mesa – Table wine
Denominación de Origen (Designation of Origin - DO) It wasn't until the 17th century that laws begin to be formulated with regard to wine, initially prohibiting, later encouraging and ultimately regulating its production, commercialization and consumption
Denominación de Pago (DO de Pago) - Individual single-estates with an international reputation
Denominación de Origen Calificada/Qualificada (DOCa/DOQ - Denominació d'Origen Qualificada in Catalan): top-quality wine regions. So far, only Rioja
Denominación de Origen (DO - Denominació d'Origen in Catalan) - mainstream quality-wine regions
Vino de Calidad Producido en Región Determinada (VCPRD) or (VC)- less stringent regulation with specific geographical origin
Vinos de la Tierra (VdlT) - "country wine" areas which do not have EU QWPSR status but which may use a regional name
Vino de Mesa - Table wine, production of which has been in decline in recent years.
The
Still Wine Sparkling Wine
1.
2. English Regional Wine 2. English Quality Sparkling Wine
3. English Quality Wine 3. Welsh Sparkling Wine
4. Welsh Regional Wine 4. Welsh Quality Sparkling Wine
5. Welsh Quality Wine
Label Integrity Programme (LIP)-
- Minimum of 85% of the grape variety stated on the label must be used.
- If two different types of grapes are used in excess of 85% for any one variety, both grapes must be mentioned on the label in order of importance.
- Generic labels are not permitted.
- If the name of a growing area, state, region or sub region is on the label, a minimum of 85% of the grapes must come from that place.
- If the vintage is stated on the label, a minimum of 95% of the grape must have been harvested during that vintage.
- If the term “show reserve” is used on the label, the wine must have won a medal at a tasting competition.
- If the term “reserve bin” or “bin number” appears on the label, it usually distinguishes a premium or higher quality wine.
- If the term “wood matured” appears on the label, it indicates that the wine spent time in new or relatively young casks and thus has an oaky taste.
Vintners Quality
The VQA system allows for sub-appellations, by which the grapes for wines are sourced from extremely specific geographical locations with different soil and climate. This is in accordance with the concept of terroir.
As
Levels of appellations:
Provincial → Regional Appellation →Collective sub-appellation → Sub-appellation
In December 1994, the
Chilean wine laws stipulate that export white wines must attain a minimum alcohol content of 12% and reds 11.5%. Especial wine must be aged two years, Reserve wine must be aged four years and Gran Vino must be aged six years. If a varietal, estate, vintage or place of origin is named on the label it must contain 75 percent of that grape type.
Instituto Nacional de Viniviticultura (INV) - regulates pruning methods, harvesting schedules, transport of grapes, release dates of finished wines, minimum and maximum alcohol percentages and the planting of new vines. The INV also sets prices for domestic wines. Only Vinos Finos (the best of Argentinean wines, about ten percent) is strictly controlled by government and industry. Argentine winemakers have traditionally been more interested in quantity than quality and the country consumes 90% of the wine it produces.
An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a delimited grape-growing region distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the
Unlike most European appellations, an AVA specifies only a location. It does not limit the type of grapes grown, the method of vinification, or the yield, for example. Some of those factors may, however, be used by the petitioner when defining an AVA's boundaries.
Once an AVA is established, at least 85% of the grapes used to make a wine must be grown in the specified area if an AVA is referenced on its label.
State or county boundaries, such as for
A vineyard may be in more than one AVA. For example, the
The BATF laws have been strengthened in regards to labeling of the variety’s percentages listed requiring that ninety percent of the listed grape be in the bottle with the exception of Cabernet Sauvignon, which only requires seventy-five percent.
The state follows BATF laws and members of the Washington Wine Commission have taken even greater steps to increase quality through stringent labeling practices that require wine makers to only use AVA names on labels if one hundred percent of the grapes are from that AVA, all wines must be from Vinifera grapes with no additives and the term reserve must only be used for gapes that are one hundred percent Washington and up to ten percent of the wineries total production of that variety.
Xavier Auzas
No comments:
Post a Comment