What is an AOC in wine?

appellation d’origine contrôlée
It gets a little tricky when discussing DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) and AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée). In the case of Italy’s DOC, or controlled designation of origin, wine labeled as such must be produced within a defined region using specific processes to reach a certain threshold of quality.

What does AOC mean in France?

Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, or AOC, is a French food-labeling term that protects the style, ingredients, and origin of a product. Many of Europe’s oldest food products are protected by similar designations, such as Italy’s DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) and Spain’s DO (Denominación de Origen).

What does the AOC regulate?

Factors regulated by AOC laws include terroir, grape variety, production style, the geographical location of the vineyards used for growing the grapes, the types of grapes used, the maximum yield of grapes that the producers can take from a certain plot of land and the minimum amount of time a wine must spend aging …

What is the lowest classification of wine in France?

Regional wines are the lowest level of classification in the Burgundy system.

Is Grand Cru or Premier Cru better?

Each of the 33 Grand Crus is its own appellation, and only Pinot Noir or Chardonnay are grown within their boundaries. Very few appellations allow both. Premier Cru wines are less expensive and often a better value, though their long-term aging potential is typically less.

What does AOP mean in France?

Appellation d’Origine Protégée
AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée): This means the wine came from a specific regulated region which can be a large area (such as Bordeaux) or specific area (Listrac-Médoc–within Bordeaux). Vin de France are often labeled by grape variety.

Is premier or grand cru better?

Yet, its classification system is relatively simple. Grand Cru is the top dog, while the tier just below it is named Premier Cru. A cru in Burgundy designates a high-quality vineyard. Grand Cru is at the top of the pyramid, followed by Premier Cru, the “village” wines, with the generic Bourgogne category at the bottom.

Is Sauterne a dessert wine?

Sauternes, the sweet botrytized wine from Bordeaux, France, is now thought of as a “dessert wine.” Sauternes wine had much less residual sugar.