Appellation

For other uses, seeAppellation (disambiguation).

Anappellationis a legally defined and protectedgeographical indicationprimarily used to identify where thegrapesfor awinewere grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. 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 a wine bottle label. The rules that govern appellations are dependent on the country in which the wine was produced.

History

The tradition of wine appellation is very old. The oldest references are to be found in the Bible, wherewine ofSamaria,wine ofCarmel,wine ofJezreel,orwine ofHelbonare 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,Italyin 1716 and the first wine classification system inTokaj-Hegyalja,Hungary,in 1730.

Europe

France

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 Rhôneappellation 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,champagneenjoyed an appellation control by virtue oflegal protectionas part of theTreaty of Madrid.The treaty stated that only sparkling wine produced inChampagneand adhering to the standards defined for that name as anAppellation d'Origine Contrôléecould be called champagne. This right was reaffirmed in theTreaty of VersaillesafterWorld War I.

Germany

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 Contrôléesystem.

Georgia

Georgia has 24 registeredwine appellations.

Hungary

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

Italy's first origin classification system was introduced inTuscanyin 1716 for delimitingChiantiproduction. After theunification of Italyseveral 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.

Portugal

The world's third-oldest appellation control, afterChiantiandTokaj,was introduced inPortugalin 1756, pertaining toport wine,which was produced in the region of the Douro valley.

Spain

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 origenwas stablished, following the French scheme with more tiers of classification and prompted by the impending accession to the European Union.

North America

Canada

See also:Vintners Quality Alliance § Appellations,andCellared in Canada

Canadian wineappellations are regulated by theVintners Quality Alliancesystem. The system covers the provinces ofBritish ColumbiaandOntario.

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 ErieNorth Shore, andPrince Edward County.

On June 11, 2012,Nova Scotialaunched its first appellation, Tidal Bay.

United States

See also:List of American Viticultural Areas

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 AVAwas based largely on its long historical relationship with wine in the United States.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.

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.

List of appellations

• 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
  • Spain:Denominación de origen protegida
• Switzerland:Appellation d'origine contrôlée
• Australia:Australian Geographical Indications
• 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

See also

• Protected Designation of Origin
• Terroir
• Eponym– Person or thing after which something is named
• Title character– Character who is named or referred to in a work's title

External links

• Appellation America Wine Portal.Information about recognizedwine appellationsin the United States and Canada.