Wine appellations & labels There seem to be an increasing number of letters on wine labels like AC, AOC, AP, AOP, DO, DOC, DOCG, DOP, DOQ, IGP, IGT, PDO, PGI, POP and VdIT – and these are just a selection from wine labels from EU countries. But what do they actually mean? What is AC wine? What does AOP mean? What is the difference between AC and AOC? These are just some of the questions that I am asked as these acronyms can cause more confusion than clarification. The short answer is that AOC, AP etc are all geographical indications or GIs. But what does that mean and what do these geographical designations or appellations as they are often called tell us about the origin of the wine? And do appellations on wine labels guarantee more than the origin of the wine? Read ahead for the answers to these questions and more so that you can make sense of these wine label terms and tell the difference between AC, AOC, AP & AOP etc. Geographical indications and wine AC, AOC, AP, AOP, DO, DOC, DOCG, DOP, DOQ, IGP, IGT, PDO, PGI, POP and VdIT are all geographical indications as defined by the EU, i.e. terms used to identify a product as originating from a particular region and where according to the EU “its quality, reputation or other characteristic is linked to its geographical origin”. This distinct quality, reputation or characteristic may arise because of traditional viticulture practices, wine-making methods or particular grape varieties which have been used in the specific region for many years. As well as giving consumers some reassurance about the origin, GIs are also useful for producers to help market their products. GIs don’t just apply to wines of course but also to foods like Parma ham and Roquefort cheese. In terms of wine, GIs are essentially defined, designated vineyard areas that can be as large as Bordeaux or as small as a particular vineyard plot such as Les Longeays in Pouilly Vinzelles in the Mâcon region of Burgundy. So is a GI or an appellation a guarantee that a wine is the product of grapes grown in that area? You would think so – but it’s not quite that simple … As I have stated in my previous blog on the provenance of wine, for some wines, if a GI is stated, only a minimum of 85% of grapes used must come from the GI in question. Similarly only 85% need come from grapes of the specified vintage and from the specified grape variety. So in order for you to be 100% sure we need to delve a little deeper and split GIs into PDOs and PGIs (more acronyms, sorry!). PDOs & PGIs PDOs or Protected Designation of Origin, known as wine appellations A PDO indicates products that are produced, processed and prepared in a specific geographical area, using the recognised know-how of local producers and ingredients from the region concerned. To be recognised formally as a PDO the producers must adhere to a precise set of specifications particular to each individual PDO including permitted grape varieties, wine-making techniques and vineyard practices such as permitted yield levels. But the fundamental requirements for all PDO wine are that 100% of grapes must come from the region and the wine itself must be made in the region. The PDO logo whilst mandatory for PDO food products is optional for wine and I must say I don’t think I have ever seen it on a wine label. PDOs are what we know as appellations of origin although the term appellation is mistakenly used more generally to include PGIs. PGIs or Protected Geographical Indication Like PDOs a PGI product’s quality and/ or reputation is linked to the place or region where it is produced, processed or prepared but the ingredients used need not necessarily all come from that PGI area. For wine it means that a minimum of 85% of the grapes must come from the geographical area where the wine is made. The PGI areas tend to be larger than PDO regions. Again all PGI products must adhere to a precise set of specifications though in general these are not as strict as PDO regulations. The PGI logo is also optional for wine. Wines without geographical indication There is a third wide category of wines and they are wines without geographical indication, a catch all for everything else that doesn’t fall into the PDO and PGI categories. If the PDO and PGI logos are not used on wine labels, how are we to know whether a wine is PDO, PGI or a wine without GI? To answer this we need to look at each individual country’s PDO, PGI & other wine designations since each country sets the detailed specifications that must be met and polices the use of their GIs. I go into more detail with examples below and I use the French terms as they are probably the ones that are most familiar. I also set out in tables below the terms used in the other main EU wine-producing countries. Note however that I don’t go into much detail on Germany and Austria’s wine labelling; the reason for this is simply that their wine label terms are more complex and deserve a detailed blog of their own; watch this space. PDO examples / Wine appellations * In Germany the PDOs must state the region they come from on the label but you will also see either the term Qualitätswein or Prädikatswein (or one of its 6 subcategories) depending on the grape’s sweetness at harvest e.g Andreas Bender’s Pinot Noir is labelled Deutscher Qualitätswein Pfalz, Pfalz being the region where all the grapes are grown and the wine is made. More on German & Austrian wine at a later date. All PDO wines can use PDO or the equivalent local term but in countries where there are different quality levels of PDO e.g. Italy’s DOCG & DOC and

Organic wine I wrote a little about organic wine in my blog post on the differences between natural, organic & bio-dynamic wine without going into much detail about the term “organic wine”. And since “organic” is one of the most searched for terms on the Wines With Attitude website, it seems to be a priority for discerning wine consumers perhaps because of one or a combination of the following concerns: the environment, health, quality of product, animal welfare and / or provenance. This blog post will therefore focus on organic wine and answer questions such as: what is organic wine? how do you know if a wine is organic or not? are organic wines better wines? and is it worth buying organic wines? What is organic wine? It is important to differentiate between organic wine and organic grapes because a wine can be made from organic grapes but the wine itself may not be organic. How so? Wine produced with organic grapes but not itself organic will be labelled “wine made from organic grapes”. The organic practices required in the production of wine made from organic grapes are limited to the vineyard so for example there are strict limits on the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers but the winemaker will have more freedom in what he or she can add to, or take out of, the wine during the wine production process. For example, he or she may chose to add sorbic acid to wine made from organic grapes albeit amounts are limited by the EU; this substance may be used to prevent yeast fermentation in the bottle but the practice is frowned upon by more reputable winemakers as the issue can be prevented by careful filtration and good hygiene. In addition most people can detect sorbic acid at levels of 135mg per litre whilst EU limits are above that at 200mg per litre. A truly organic wine must be produced from organic grapes AND follow strict regulations dictating the production of the wine in the winery. So using the above example an organic wine would not be permitted to have any sorbic acid added. Other limitations include most notably sulphur dioxide levels in still wine which must be at least 50mg per litre lower than the levels allowed in non-organic still wine (read more on sulphites in wine). This is the equivalent of 33% lower for red still wines and 25% lower for still white wines. Therefore an EU organic wine will be produced from grapes that have seen have no pesticides or fertilisers but, contrary to popular belief, it may have had extra sulphites added, though the levels will almost certainly be lower than in non-organic wines. And as you can read in my sulphites blog post sulphites are not necessarily a bad thing as long as limits are controlled. Note that to answer this question I focused on the EU guidelines by which EU organic wine producers must abide. I used this source because EU wines account for a large percentage of wines consumed in the UK. For your information, non-EU organic wines are imported into the EU under “equivalency rules” which means that they have been produced and controlled according to a standard equivalent to the EU system. However there can still be differences in definitions; in the USA for example organic wines will have no added sulphites (or sulfites) and carry this label. How to find organic wines Organic wines are usually easily identifiable; look for the EU organic logo (green leaf with stars) on organic wines produced in the EU after July 2012 and country-specific organic certification logos (like the UK Soil Association below or the French ‘Agriculture Biologique’). Certification of organic grapes and of organic wine is controlled by various control bodies in each country authorised by the EU to monitor the winemakers; there is a conversion period of at least two years before the organic label can be used and annual checks are carried out to ensure organic principles continue to be applied. Only a small percentage of the world’s vineyards are certified organic though increasing numbers are striving to gain certification. The UK Soil Association is one of a number of regulators in England. Unfortunately different certifying bodies can have slightly different criteria and regulations about growing grapes though all must ensure that the EU regulations are adhered to. Uncertified wines may still be produced according to organic principles as producers may be working towards certification or prefer to remain uncertified for whatever reason. Some of these producers may boast on the label of production “according to organic principles”. But they are often referred to as organic wines even if not certified (I mention in the tasting notes on the website if my wines are not certified organic). Are organic wines better wines? The organic wine industry first gained some traction in the 1970s but has had a chequered history until relatively recently. In fact as mentioned earlier it was only in 2012 that the EU came up with a written definition of organic wine, after the USA, Chile, Australia and South Africa had already set their own organic wine regulations and standards. And whilst there is an ever-increasing number of people buying organic food, sales of organic wine are not increasing at the same pace. I am asked more about vegan wine than organic wine. One of the problems for organic wine is its definition. There is no worldwide standard for organic wine as we have seen. There is added confusion from the often interchangeable but incorrect use of the terms “organic”, “bio-dynamic”, “natural” and “raw” wines as mentioned in my blog post on the differences between those terms. And in the early days of organic wine there was also a problem with rapid deterioration in some low sulphite wines which did not help the reputation. Fortunately winemakers have improved their techniques and management of sulphites so that this is rarely a problem now. There was also resistance