Chris Skyrme of Sopexa on French Wine Classifications

This show was published 13 April 2012

Overview

Chris Skyrme explains the new wine classifications that have been introduced in France and Europe. There are now three main classifications - first is AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protegée) which is European wide and more or less the same as the old AOC it replaces (Appellation d'Origin Controlee) and similar to PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) used for food. The aim is that eventually there will be only one system for both food and wine. The next wine classification is IGP (Indication Geographique Protegée), the Europe-wide equivalent of the French national-level Vin De Pays. The key criteria is that the region must be printed on the label and the wine of course must be produced in that region and meet a set of standards. The third category is an entirely new category called Vin de France, created so that France is better able to compete against new world wines. The key info on wine labels is firstly the brand/producer of the wine, secondly the grape variety or blend and thirdly there is the option to put the vintage on. Importantly this category means that wine can be blended across the regions and will help improve the consistency in quality of French wines. The old Vin de Table category for French table wine no longer exists.

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