Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
France
AN INTRODUCTION
The wines range from very expensive high end wines popular all around the world to regular table wines that are sold only in France. Two concepts central to higher end French wines are the notion of "terroir", which links the style of the wines to the specic locations where the grapes are grown and the wine is made, and the Appellation d'Origine Contrle (AOC) system.
GRAPE VARIETIES
Merlot Grenache Ugni Blanc Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon Chardonnay
QUALITY STANDARDS
Appellation rules closely dene which grape varieties and winemaking practices are approved for classication in each of France's several hundred geographically dened appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or even specic vineyards.
QUALITY STANDARDS
4 Categories
Table Wines
QWPSR
Vin de Table
Vin de Pays
QUALITY STANDARDS
Vin de Table: Requires only the producer and the designation that it is from France on the bottle. Vin de Pays: Carries with it a specic region within France and is less restrictive than AOC wines. eg. Cote du Rhone.
QUALITY STANDARDS
VDQS: Less strict than AOC, usually used for smaller areas or as a "waiting room" for potential AOCs. This category will be abolished at the end of 2011. AOC: Wine from a particular area with many other restrictions, including grape varieties and winemaking methods.