Is the identification of the wine by a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) -or AOC in french (Appellation d'Origine Côntrolée)- a guarantee of quality ? Well...not really ! Let's first review some definitions.
Differences between labels
-The AOC is the recognition that all stages of production of a product are carried out according to a recognized know-how in the same geographical area (terroir). It legally protects these elements at the level of French territory.
In wine, an AOC also defines production rules. Among them, yield limits, ways of managing the vines, a minimum maturity of the grapes is required at harvest, the use of one or more grape varieties specific, a breeding period minimum or even a typicality of taste that consumers are supposed to expect from the product.
For example, a white wine in AOC Sancerre must respect a certain number of criteria to be able to affix this name on its bottle. First of all, the grapes used for its production must come from a very specific geographical area (here 14 possible municipalities in 1 department, Le Cher). It is defined in the specifications of the appellation that a white Sancerre must be made 100% from the grape variety Sauvignon and must, as cited in the specifications of the appellation appellation, "exude a certain freshness and its aromas can range from citrus to floral notes, including fruits exotic".
-The AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) is the counterpart of the AOC at the European level. It therefore guarantees the same thing as the AOC but within the entire European Union.
-The PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) is a European acronym in the same way as the AOP but its criteria for obtaining it are less strict.
For example, the IGP (or PGI) Val-de-Loire covers 14 departments and a white wine from this IGP can be made from the Sauvignon grape variety but also from Chardonnay, Chenin, Melon de Bourgogne, Pinot Blanc, Folle Blanche etc. These grape varieties can be blended to produce the same wine if desired, which absolutely cannot be the case for an AOC Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé wine!
Vineyards in Sancerre
Stop generalities !
Now that the definitions are clearer, let's get back to our topic. In 1935, when the AOC system was created, the goal was to protect the consumer by guaranteeing a certain quality and legally preventing certain fraud at a time with very few regulations.
Today, the AOC remains (above all) useful for promoting a geographical origin and not a level of quality. Indeed, with the hygienic and scientific progress made over the last century, almost all winegrowers with vines in the right location are capable of respecting the standards established by an AOC.
Another limiting aspect of the AOC: the standardization of taste. As explained a little above, wines from the same AOC must validate certain common taste criteria.The wines from an estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape are therefore tasted by professionals (a tasting committee) in order to verify that they fit within the framework of what we can expect wines from this region (power, depth, richness etc.). If this can obviously be positive in order not to promote certain wines unworthy of the Châteauneuf "brand", it can also eliminate more original wines of high quality which do not correspond to the established tasting criteria. This problem pushes each year several winegrowers, tired of these limiting taste barriers, to definitively leave their AOC and label their bottles with a simple “Vin de France” (the latter can be excellent)!
We can therefore also see the AOC system as a brake on creativity in a world where tradition is king.
The qualitative truth scale: the estate
As you will have understood, the scale of truth is therefore that of the estate and not that of the AOC. We can prefer the wines of one region or another but saying "the wines of Haut-Médoc are excellent while those of Muscadet are bad" does not make sense. In each of these AOCs, demanding and passionate producers exist while others turn to making more ordinary and soulless wines.
Therefore, taste, share, be curious and do not take your purchases as the main criterion for your purchases only notion of appellation ! And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to call La Cave Éclairée !
