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French Wine Making Laws

Posted 17. Oktober 2022 by Logistik-Express in Allgemein

Farmers were the first to notice these new diseases. In desperation, they planted hybrid vines, which at the time were producing large quantities of wine. Joseph Capus, one of the main architects of the AOC system, understood this. For 30 years, he argued that in addition to the protection of origin, the production methods of the territories should also be covered by legislation. This was the only way to continue producing wine of the quality that had made the region famous. Work on compiling this list began on 5 April 1855. The brokers` union did not have much time because the international exposure was only a month away. For 2 weeks, they drew up a list of 61 houses divided into 5 different vintages. They supported the list on which wine prices had historically reached the different houses. By April 18, 1855, they were completed.

Today, more than 150 years later, the list has undergone only two changes. To fill the void left by the failure of the harvest, the beet juice was placed in fermentation tanks to increase production. Merchants brought foreign wine and even made wine from imported raisins. In the European Union (EU), much of the wine legislation is common to all countries through the European Union`s wine regulations, which are part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). [6] The CAP wine regime consists of a set of rules applicable to the wine sector with the aim of achieving a balanced and open market. The main features include production rules, oenological practices and practices, wine classification, a number of structural and support measures, detailed rules on wine description and labelling, and imports from third countries. [6] Overall, French Wine Law exists to protect a region`s unique “sense of belonging,” and the France has a variety of regions, each with different wine needs, traditions, and ideologies. But The French will define this “sense of belonging” differently depending on where you are and who you ask. Other regions fit less well into the Bordeaux vs Burgundy model. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (and Pinot Meunier) thrive in Champagne, as does neighbouring Burgundy. Recently, artisanal producers-producers have received a lot of attention for their “terroir” champagnes, which come from their small estates. Nevertheless, the most famous champagnes are produced in large houses or “Grand Marques”.

These revered houses mix the three Champagne grapes from plots throughout the region and with base wines over the vintages to create their signature vintages. So, does champagne look more like Bordeaux or more like Burgundy? These relaxed regulations, combined with reduced operating costs in VdP regions, result in more affordable wines for consumers. Even if VdP appellations are not micro-cultivated as in AOC vineyards, the VdP appellation still guarantees consumers the origin of a wine. In 1910, riots broke out in Champagne. The following year, the farmers confiscated the barrels of wine from outside Epernay and Reims and destroyed them. The wine was purchased exclusively for the purpose of being transformed into “champagne”. Champagne had, unlike any other wine region in France at that time, cellars with abundant reserve wine. In fact, the big champagne houses still have large stocks of aged reserve wines, as is necessary for their non-vintage (NV) in-house blends. The addition of reserve wine not only helps champagne producers sell young wines that have beautiful aged wine characteristics, but also helps to keep NV blends consistent from year to year. Wine is regulated by regional, state and local laws.

The laws and their relative rigidity differ for the wines of the New and Old Worlds. Old World wines tend to have stricter regulations than New World wines. [2] However, various wine laws may contain appellation-based regulations that cover both permitted limits and grape varieties and winemaking practices – such as the French Appellation d`Origine Contrôlée (AOC), the Italian Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC), the Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) and the Portuguese Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC). In some wine regions of the New World, such as the United States and Australia, the wine laws of the appellation systems (American Viticultural Area (AVA) and Australian Geographical Indication (IG)) refer only to specific limits and ensure that a certain percentage of grapes come from the area indicated on the wine label. Wine merchants have always been important for the French wine trade. Merchants blend wines from different regions to create a standardized product and provide information on quality, origin and taste. In fact, merchants still play a decisive role in the trade of fine and ordinary wine from the France. Most grape varieties are primarily associated with a specific region, such as Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux and Syrah in the Rhône, although some grape varieties are present in two or more regions, such as Chardonnay in Burgundy (including Chablis) and Champagne and Sauvignon Blanc in Loire and Bordeaux. As an example of rules, although the weather conditions seem favourable, no Cabernet Sauvignon wine is produced in the Rhône, no Riesling wine in the Loire and no Chardonnay wine in Bordeaux. (If such wines were produced, they would have to be released as vin de pays, or French vin de table. They are not allowed to display a appellation name or even a region of origin.) The most important changes will concern the France wine category and VDQS wines, which are either considered PDO wines or have to be downgraded to a PGI category. For older AOC wines, the switch to PDO means only minor changes to the label terminology, while the actual names of the appellations themselves remain unchanged.

Although no new wines have been marketed under the old 2012 names, bottles already in the distribution chain will not be relabelled. In fact, the French are so successful with their wine region classification system – the Appellation d`Origine Contrôlée (AOC), now Appellation d`Origine Protégée (PDO) – that it has been copied around the world with varying degrees of success, including by the European Union. This means that regions need to be treated separately if you want to understand the information on a wine label. In addition, some movements are taking place that are reminiscent of the “Super Tuscans”: groups of winegrowers who disagree or dissatisfied with the PDO system choose to withdraw their wines from the PDO. Instead, they choose to sell their wines under a lower classification – even if the wines they produce are of obvious PDO quality. Savoy or Savoy, mainly a white wine region in the Alps near Switzerland, where many grapes unique to this region are grown. Today, wine production is limited to certain regions of Alsace. Provence, to the southeast and near the Mediterranean Sea. It is perhaps the hottest wine region in France and produces mainly rosé and red wine. It includes eight major appellations, led by the Provençal flagship Bandol. [26] Some wines of Provence can be compared to the wines of the southern Rhône, as they share both grapes and, to some extent, style and climate.

[26] [27] [28] Provence also has a ranking of its most prestigious cellars, similar to Bordeaux. [29] In present-day France, wine has been produced in the Greek colonies on the southeast coast since about 600 BC. Archaeologists suspect that grapes were grown there long before that time. South-West of France or South-West, a somewhat heterogeneous set of wine regions within or south of Bordeaux. Some regions mainly produce red wines in a style reminiscent of red Bordeaux, while others produce dry or sweet white wines. The regions of the Southwest include: In the Middle Ages, the process of producing and storing wine was very different and much less efficient than it is today. The 2012 legislation attempts to respond to growing competition, particularly from the New World, by simplifying certain systems. This is work that is taking place at supranational level in the European Union. The EU has been striving since the mid-2000s to establish greater unity between its various original laws, largely following the French model. Perhaps EU legislation based on the PDO principles of the France can be a way to create a simpler approach to wine for ordinary consumers – and strengthen the whole Union in the fight against wines and other products from the rest of the world. The awards these houses have received for their wine have also attracted the interest of other producers in the region. Under these first increases, layers of quality and price began to form.

The different vintages have developed into a market function between the different producers and traders. • Winemaking practices – Production methods specific to each region are regulated and may include minimum aging requirements. So it`s not just the merchants who brought wines from outside the region! EU legislation classifies the French PDO system into two categories. One category concerns wines that fall under the EU table wine classification. The other category is the category “Quality wine from a specific region” (QWPSR). In the French wine system, quality wine is divided into two parts: from 1850, a number of diseases such as powdery mildew, a type of rot – and phylloxera, a louse that affects the rootstock of plants, straddled the France like a mare. These diseases have destroyed 80% of the world`s vineyards and have hit the France particularly hard. Producers have failed to meet the high demand for French wine. A vast market for counterfeits has emerged. In the last years of the 1800s, several individual laws were passed to ensure the quality of wines.

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