Anappellation is a legally defined and protectedgeographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin ofwine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, such as what grapes may be grown, maximum grape yields, alcohol level, and other quality factors may also apply before an appellation name may legally appear on awine bottle label. The rules that govern appellations are dependent on the country in which the wine was produced.
The tradition of wine appellation is very old. The oldest references are to be found in the Bible, wherewine ofSamaria,wine ofCarmel,wine ofJezreel,[1] orwine ofHelbon[2] are mentioned. This tradition of appellation continued throughout the Antiquity and the Middle Ages, though without any officially sanctioned rules. Historically, the world's first exclusive (protected) vineyard zone was introduced inChianti,Italy in 1716 and the first wine classification system inTokaj-Hegyalja,Hungary, in 1730.
In 1935, theInstitut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO), a branch of theFrench Ministry of Agriculture, was created to manage wine-processing in France. In theRhone wine regionBaron Pierre Le Roy Boiseaumarié, a lawyer and winegrower fromChâteauneuf-du-Pape, obtained legal recognition of theCôtes du Rhône appellation of origin in 1937. The AOC seal, orAppellation d'Origine Contrôlée, was created and mandated by French laws in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
Before 1935, despite the fact that the INAO was yet to be created,champagne enjoyed an appellation control by virtue oflegal protection as part of theTreaty of Madrid. The treaty stated that only sparkling wine produced inChampagne and adhering to the standards defined for that name as anAppellation d'Origine Contrôlée could be called champagne. This right was reaffirmed in theTreaty of Versailles afterWorld War I.
Germany is unusual among wine-producing countries in that its most prestigious classifications, the various grades ofPrädikatswein, are based on theripeness of the grapes, though their geographical origins are also legally defined. Thus Germany's geographical classification,Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA), is akin to France's defunctVin Délimité de Qualité Superieure, which has been subsumed into the currentAppellation d'Origine Contrôlée system.
Georgia has 24 registeredwine appellations.
Historically, the world's first vineyard classification system was introduced inTokaj-Hegyalja,Hungary, in 1730.Vineyards were classified into three categories depending on the soil, sun exposure, and potential to developBotrytis cinerea. The subdivisions were: first-class, second-class and third-class wines. A decree by the Habsburg crown in 1757 established a closed production district inTokaj. The classification system was completed by the national censuses of 1765 and 1772.
Italy's first origin classification system was introduced inTuscany in 1716 for delimitingChianti production. After theunification of Italy several attempts were made to introduce some kind of protection for wine appellations, to no avail. Only in 1963 the "Denominazione di origine controllata" law was approved, starting with 1967 vintage.
The world's third-oldest appellation control, afterChianti andTokaj, was introduced inPortugal in 1756, pertaining toport wine, which was produced in the region of the Douro valley.
Some Spanish wines were already famous or even regulated (Rioja: 1925;Sherry: 1933) when the market started being regulated. It was not until 1980 that legislation ondenominación de origen was stablished, following the French scheme with more tiers of classification and prompted by the impending accession to the European Union.
Canadian wine appellations are regulated by theVintners Quality Alliance system. The system covers the provinces ofBritish Columbia andOntario.[citation needed]
British Columbia is divided into four "Designated Viticultural Areas" ("DVAs"):Okanagan Valley,Vancouver Island,Fraser Valley, and theSimilkameen Valley. Ontario includes three DVAs:Niagara Peninsula,Lake Erie North Shore, andPrince Edward County.[3]
On June 11, 2012,Nova Scotia launched its first appellation, Tidal Bay.[4][5]
TheAmerican Viticultural Area ("AVA") is for the United States. The only requirement to use an AVA name on the wine label is that 85% of the wine must have come from grapes grown within the geographical AVA boundaries. The first AVA was inAugusta, Missouri, in June 1980. The approval of theAugusta AVA was based largely on its long historical relationship with wine in the United States.[6] The Augusta wine-growing area is a 15-square-mile (39 km2) plot of land along the Missouri River, which moderates temperature and provides an appropriate climate for growing grapes.[7]
States or counties can also be used in lieu of an AVA to designate the origin of a wine, provided that 75% of the grapes used in the wine are grown in the state or county listed on the label.
European Union:Protected Designation of Origin
Austria:Districtus Austriae Controllatus
Cyprus: Ελεγχόμενη Ονομασία Προέλευσης
France:Appellation d'origine contrôlée
Germany:German wine classification
Greece: ονομασία προελεύσεως ελεγχομένη
Italy:Denominazione di Origine Controllata
Luxembourg: Appellation contrôlée
Portugal:Denominação de Origem Controlada
Romania:Denumire de Origine Controlată[8]
Spain:Denominación de origen protegida
Switzerland:Appellation d'origine contrôlée
Australia: Australian Geographical Indications[9]
Argentina:Denominación de origen - see also:Argentine wine
Canada:Vintners Quality Alliance
Brazil:Denominação de Origem
Chile:seeChilean wine
South Africa:Wine of Origin
United Kingdom:Protected Denomination of Origin
United States:American Viticultural Area
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