Term · Regulations
Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC)
French label that protects the name of a wine produced in a delimited area, under a controlled specification.
The appellation d'origine contrôlée protects the name of a product whose qualities come from its geographical origin and from the know-how of those who make it.
Each AOC has a specification, approved by the State on a proposal from INAO: the production area, the authorised grape varieties, the yields, the practices. Producers are approved and inspected.
For wines, the AOC is the French form of the European protected designation of origin (AOP).
See also
- Protected designation of origin (AOP)European label: a wine whose quality comes from a place, made from grapes of that place and produced there.
- Geographical areaThe communes where the production of an appellation takes place.
- Specification (cahier des charges)The text that sets the rules of an appellation: area, grape varieties, yields, practices.