What is the difference between AOC and Appellation d'Origine Contr?lée?

In China, there is a strange phenomenon, that is, "hear, listen to others". Don't underestimate the power of this force, he can quickly become a message, a norm. In the wine world, it is the same, many people are drinking wine, but do not know much about wine. So some bad and wrong propaganda techniques are utilized by unscrupulous merchants to lure Chinese consumers. So the majority of wine drinkers need to keep their eyes peeled when buying wine, next time they go to a supermarket or specialty store. But the clerk will tell you: "This is AOC grade, the highest level in France", and he will also point to the line of text on the label to show you, which is AOC. You have to pay attention to the AOC, there are dozens of dollars, or even 1-20 yuan, there are tens of thousands of dollars of the world's most famous chateaux wines. The AOC is a very rough classification, only the origin of the wine, that is, the origin of the wine to make a co-ordinated provisions, then the following a little simple introduction will let you understand some AOC knowledge.

First, let's talk about the French wine class, there are 4 classes of French wines. Look at the chart below, in fact, most of the domestic imports are AOC wine, there is no way, the people only recognize AOC ah, there are some wine merchants to the very ordinary VDT, VDP sold to hundreds of high prices.

AOC is called Appellation d'Origine Contr?lée (AOC), VDQS is a fine regional table wine, VDP is a regional table wine, VDT is a daily table wine.

AOC introduction:

AOC is the abbreviation of Appellation d'Origine Controlee, shown on the label is the full name of Appellation + Origine (appellation name) + Controlee, it is important to look at the middle of the origin.

There are 10 major appellations in France, and the biggest concept of AOC is A+Appellation+C. This is the biggest concept of the AOC range, and the AOC informs us about which region the wine comes from. And these big appellations have its basic characteristics, such as Champagne produces sparkling wine, Alsace produces dry white more famous, Burgundy produces Pinot Noir red and Chardonnay white ....... So the regional AOC can only transparent to us some basic situation, that is, the range of origin, and this origin can winemaking category, and can adopt the grape varieties.

List:

Take the Bordeaux appellation (France's 10 big appellations in the most recognized by the country) as an example, first look at the map of Bordeaux.

1, large appellation AOC:

If Appellation + large appellation + Controlee That is the large area wine, grapes from the whole region with (wine label see below).

(See the red horizontal line in the chart) Bordeaux AOC, grapes from the whole map, the widest division in the AOC. For the regional AOC.

2, sub-appellation AOC:

But what if it is Appellation + sub-appellation + Controlee. Then the grapes can only originate from this smaller appellation, and the range is much finer.

(See the red horizontal line in the map.) A+Haut Medoc+C, with the appellation range defined to the Haut Medoc area in the map above, is a much finer geographic range compared to A+Bordeaux+C. We call it sub-appellation AOC. (Second is not inferior, inferior meaning, but the area, the size of the second meaning, the meaning of the division)

3, village AOC:

There is a more precise Appellation+Village+Controlee, which indicates that the grapes come from a village, relative to the A + Médoc + C, the scope is more refined.

(See the red horizontal line in the chart) A+Pauillac+C , the grapes come from the village of Pauillac, the green dot in the chart above, and is a village AOC.

The highest, for example, in the Burgundy appellation Appellation+Vineyard name+Controlee indicates that the grapes originate from only one vineyard. This is a very fine way of labeling the origin of the grapes (Burgundy).

But keep in mind that the finer the appellation, the "basically" higher the quality will be, but not all wines with finer appellations are good. We also have to look at the potential of the appellation. For example, in some villages produce very famous wine, it will be much more expensive than other less famous village wine. There are also chateau classifications, for example in Bordeaux, where the 1855 classification divides the wines of the Left Bank (Haut Medoc) into five classes. The classified wines are basically Bordeaux's highest class Appellation+Village+Controlee, but the 1st class wines are several times more expensive than the 5th class wines.

So keep in mind that you can't just go for the AOC and AOC level effect, the AOC just reveals the information of the wine to us, so that we can better understand the wine, we should know that there are:

Regional AOC

Sub-regional AOC

Village AOC

Vineyard AOC

Also a level of AOC is the same as a level of AOC, but it is more expensive than a level 5 wine. p>The same is a level of AOC, for example, 2 bottles of wine are Appellation + Pauillac + Controlee, then the price is also very different, Lafite is Appellation + Pauillac + Controlee (1 level winery, 1855 classification of good local wines are divided into 5 levels), the most expensive already! Lafite is Appellation+Pauillac+Controlee (1st class winery, 1855 classification divides the local good wines into 5 classes), the most expensive has been tens of thousands of dollars, while those ordinary Appellation+Pauillac+Controlee can be bought for a few hundred dollars.

So what does the AOC tell us?

First of all, the first thing the AOC reveals to us is the place of origin, which in France can also be known based on the shape of the bottle, and since the AOC reveals the place of origin, it basically tells what varietal is used. Each appellation in France has a corresponding variety. A bottle of AOC from Bordeaux will never be brewed with Shiraz. It will be made with the legal varieties of Bordeaux.

Besides the variety, the AOC also tells us how the wine is made. Champagne is all about the bubbles, Burgundy uses a single variety, and Bordeaux prefers a multi-varietal blend.

Listed below are the varieties of each appellation, where the AOC is from the following appellations, such as Appellation+Pauillac+Controlee is a red wine from Bordeaux, then he will use the following red grapes brewing. Specific components are generally Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot-based, the rest as a blend.

1. Bordeaux

White grapes: Sauvignon Blanc; Semillon; Muscadelle

Red grapes: Cabernet Franc; Cabernet Sauvignon; Merlot. Sauvignon; Merlot; Malbec; Petit Verdot

2. Bourgogne

White grapes: Chardonnay, Aligote

Red grapes: Pinot Noir, Gamay Syrah

B. Southern Rhone Valley

White grapes: Picpoul, Bourboulenc, Clairette

Red grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault

White grapes: Picpoul, Bourboulenc, Viognier

Red grapes: Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault

Red grapes: Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Cinsault. Cinsault

4. Languedoc-Roussillon

White grapes: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Macabeo, Mauzac, Sauvignon Blanc. Mauzac, Chenin Blanc

Red grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault

Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan

Red grapes: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Macabeo, Mauzac, Chenin Blanc

5. Provence et Corse

White grapes: Clairette; Rolle, Ugni Blanc, Semillon;

Red grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon;

Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Tibouren, Carignan

6. Alsace

White Grapes Gewurztraminer; Pinot Gris; Riesling; Muscat d'Alsace; Sylvaner; Pinot Blanc

Red Grapes. Pinot Noir)

7. Vallee de la Loire

White grapes: Muscadet; Gros Plant; Pinot Gris; Chenin Blanc; Chardonnay; Sauvignon Blanc; Chasselas

Red grapes: Cabernet Franc; Gamay; Pinot Noir; Cabernet Sauvignon; Pineau d'Aunis; Pineau d'Arc; Pineau d'Or. 'Aunis; Malbec; Grolleau

8. Beaujolais

Red: Gamay

9. Sud-Ouest

White: Muscadelle; Grand Cru

Southwest. Muscadelle; Gros Manseng; Sauvignon Blanc; Semillon

Red grapes: Cabernet Franc; Cabernet Sauvignon; Melot; Tannat; Malbec. Tannat; Malbec

10. Champagne

White grapes: Chardonnay

Red grapes: Pinot Noir; Pinot Meunier

So it's not just the AOC that's right for every wine. AOC wine, is suitable for everyone, different appellations of the AOC even varieties are not the same, the taste is also very different. We need to choose the one that suits us. You can't just go for the AOC.