Quality Wine in the Old World

Have you noticed a change on the label of your favorite French wine? It might be subtle, and it may not even be there at all.

A few years ago, the European Union (EU) determined that something had to be done to tame the growing wine surplus. Indications are that many of the wines that were being produced didn't have much market potential, due to a poor end product. Many of these wines were so poor, that they were used for distillation. The ultimate goal of the EU was to  modernise the European wine trade, and improve its' quality and competitiveness with the new world producers. One of the significant reforms is the ability to mention grape variety on the label, making the wines more accessible to those who prefer New World market practices.

In the simplest terms, the EU wines will fall into two general categories: Table Wine (TW), and Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR). Table wines are the basic cheap blends that are sourced locally, and rarely seen on the import market. What we are used to seeing is the QWPSR wines. These are wines of a higher quality, and must pass minimum standards of production, and come from a protected geographic area.

Within the QWPSR, there are two levels of quality wines: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographic Indication (PGI). These are the English translations for the two levels.

Designation of Origin is defined in article 34 of the regulations as “the name of a region, a specific place or, in exceptional cases, a country …that complies with the following requirements;
-its quality and characteristics are essentially or exclusively due to a particular geographical environment with its inherent natural and human factors
-the grapes from which it is produced come exclusively from this geographical area
-its production takes place in this geographical area
-it is obtained from vine varieties belonging to Vitis vinifera”


Geographic Indication is defined as “referring to a region, a specific place or, in exceptional cases, a country …which complies with the following requirements;
-it possesses a specific quality, reputation or other characteristics attributable to that geographical origin
-at least 85 % of the grapes used for its production come exclusively from this geographical area
-its production takes place in this geographical area
-it is obtained from vine varieties belonging to Vitis vinifera or a cross between Vitis vinifera species and other species of the genus Vitis.”



Each European country has its' own name for PDO. In France, this level is known as Appellation d'Origin Protogee (AOP). This is equivalent to the current AOC level most of us are familiar with (think Bordeaux, Burgundy, Cotes du Rhone - all are AOC's). The AOP will not entirely replace the AOC on the labels, rather the producers will have a choice of using one or the other. In the case of the PGI, this is equivalent to the Vin de Pays level. Table wine in France is now known as Vin de France.

Italy, Spain and Portugal all have similar designations. Where it gets a bit confusing is with Germany. Since the wines are labelled based on ripeness levels, there is currently no system similar to the EU designations. In Germany, the PDO level is known as geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung (gU) and the IGP level is known as

geschützte Geografischa Angabe (gGA). I have yet to see how this will affect German wines.

So, if you have stayed with me on this, you are wondering..."how does this affect me?" Well, it may or may not. Many producers of higher quality wines, don't like the idea of putting the grape variety on the label. For example, if you are lover of wines from Jura, does it matter to you if it just says Jura, or will it change your opinion if it says the grape variety is Savagnin (yes that is spelled correctly - it is a different grape than Sauvignon). Many winemakers are stuck in tradition.

For now, you may or may not see a change on the label. The wine producers are given a choice. We are slowly seeing some changes on the shelf now, but only time will tell if it helps Old World wine sales, or confuses the buying public even more.

What's in a name?

Last week, my article on terrior sparked a question about what "AVA" stood for. So, this week, I thought it might be worth looking at the United States' answer to the French appellation controlee system.

If you read my article from May 2011, on Old World vs New World, then you might remember that French wines are not identified by the grape, but rather by the region or appellation d'origine controlee, or AOC (a controlled geographic growing area). In 2011, the name changed to AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protegee), but the idea remains the same. The name was changed to help standardized the European Union.

In the United States, we identify our wines by the grape, or the grapes within a blend. But, we also know that a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley will taste different than a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia River Valley in Washington. The United States government, under (at the time) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms created the AVA, an acronym for American Viticultural Area.

Augusta AVA

The AVA system, unlike its' French counterpart, was designed to identify geographic locations, where at least 85% of the grapes (and 75% of the named grape) within the wine were grown. The biggest difference with the AVA system, versus France, is that there is no limitation on which grapes can be grown in the area, and the harvest, and methods to vinify the grapes, are not restricted. The very first AVA in the United States was established on June 20, 1980, and is the Augusta AVA (in that "hot bed" of wine...Missouri). The newest AVA is Coombsville (in the Napa Valley) established December 14, 2011. The total number of AVA's is now 202. For a full list of all the current AVA's check out the list at the TTB website.

Current regulations imposed by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), to qualify as an AVA:

• Evidence that the name of the proposed new AVA is locally or nationally known as referring to the area;
• Historical or current evidence that the boundaries are legitimate;
• Evidence that growing conditions such as climate, soil, elevation, and physical features are distinctive;

Petitioners are required to provide such information when applying for a new AVA, and are also required to use USGS maps to both describe (using terms from the map) and depict the boundaries.

The AVA system is much less restrictive than its' French counterpart. Some will argue that this is an example of the "wild west", and needs to be more controlled (that would be the Old World argument), while others will argue that it allows American wine makers to experiment, and find out what works best.

So, the next time you buy a bottle of wine, check out where its' from. Then check the TTB site and read up on the AVA, and learn a little bit more about what you're drinking.