Terroir 2016 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The pyramidal organization of AOC in France: a process of identification and valorisation of terroirs

The pyramidal organization of AOC in France: a process of identification and valorisation of terroirs

Abstract

English version: Result of their history, some famous French wine countries such as Burgundy, Bordeaux or Alsace, have a hierarchical organization of their Appellations of Controlled Origin (AOC): AOC regional, communal, Premier Cru, Grand Cru. This organization is often called pyramidal organization. AOC wine regions with a more recent history, wanted to copy this organizational model to try to identify variations of their terroir and to make recognize them by INAO. AOC “Languedoc”, “Côtes de Provence”, “Touraine”, “Anjou”, “Muscadet Sevre et Maine”, but also “Côtes du Rhône”, are engaged in projects of pyramidal organization. This paper will present some projects undertaken, expectations and motivations of producers, the processing of applications by the INAO and the results of these projects. If the starting model is the same, we will see that every wine region progressing at its own pace, with the final different results.

French version: Résultat de leur histoire, certaines régions viticoles françaises comme la Bourgogne, le Bordelais ou l’Alsace, présentent aujourd’hui une organisation hiérarchisée de leurs AOC. AOC régionales, communales, premiers crus, grands crus, l’organisation est qualifiée de pyramidale. Cette organisation permet d’identifier à des échelles différentes les variations des éléments constitutifs d’un terroir. Des régions viticoles AOC avec une histoire plus récente, ont souhaité s’inspirer de ce modèle d’organisation pour essayer d’identifier et de faire reconnaitre par l’INAO les variations de leur terroir, en respectant la réglementation européenne sur les indications géographiques. Les AOC Languedoc, Côtes de Provence, Touraine, Anjou, Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, mais également Côtes du Rhône se sont lancées dans des projets de hiérarchisation. Cette communication présentera quelques démarches engagées, les attentes et motivations des producteurs, l’instruction des demandes par l’INAO et les résultats de ces démarches. Si le modèle de départ est le même, chaque région viticole progresse à son rythme, avec au final des résultats différents.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: June 23, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2016

Type: Article

Authors

Gilles FLUTET

Institut National de l’Origine et de la qualité (INAO), la jasse de Maurin 34970 Lattes – FRANCE

Contact the author

Keywords

Geographical indication, Terroir, pyramidal organization, complementary geographical denominations, Appellations of Controlled Origin (AOC)

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2016

Citation

Related articles…

Rootstock influence on xylem embolized vulnerability and scion behavior under severe water deficit

Severe water stress events can induce cavitation damage by xylem embolism in grapevine, diminishing plant hydraulic conductance. This work aimed to determine the rootstock effects on 1) xylem embolism vulnerability to understand its function failure under severe drought, including segmentation processes from leaf to root; and 2) hydraulic conductance across water deficit and its recovery. For this purpose, two complementary experiments were performed in one-year-old Vitis vinifera cv. Tempranillo grafted onto two different rootstocks (110-Richter and SO4) under well-watered 12L pot conditions. In experiment 1, the water-stress induced xylem embolism was monitored in leaves and stems, above and below grafting-point, by using “Cavicam” for determining the percentage of embolized vessels (at P12, P50 and P88).

Read More

New antibacterial peptides produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae responsible for the inhibition of malolactic fermentation

In winemaking, several antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) produced by different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were found to be responsible for the inhibition of malolactic fermentation (MLF) carried out by some strains of Oenococcus oeni. However, only two AMPs produced by one of the yeast strains studied were totally identified and their mechanism of action was described. In an attempt to identify new AMPs, a 5-10 kDa peptidic fraction produced by an oenological strain of S. cerevisiae and previously shown to strongly inhibit MLF carried out by a strain of O. oeni was further purified.

Read More

Research summary on the use of Terroir as a wine purchasing cue

Due to the current challenging nature of the global wine market, and recent growth in number and strength of competitors from non-traditional wine producing countries, European wine producers are focussing on the potential to develop a competitive advantage through the concept of terroir.

Read More

Effect of irrigation in cover cropping vineyards

Cover cropping in vineyard is a sustainable and alternative soil management system to conventional tillage that is gaining more and more importance among winegrowers and is being promoted, among other organizations, by the European Union through the eco-schemes of the Common Agricultural Policy.
However, the use of cover crops in Mediterranean viticultural environments is conditioned, to a large extent, by the availability of irrigation water which, in a context of global warming like the one we are experiencing, must be adjusted to savings strategies, supplying to the vine only what it needs in each moment.

Read More

Sensory quality of wines as a trait in MAS grape vine breeding – sensory insights from multiple vintages in a F1 breeding population

In the context of the three global crises of global warming, loss of biodiversity and environmental pollution, current agricultural practices need to be reconsidered [1]. Viticulture in particular can contribute to this by optimising plant protection [2].

Read More