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…

Intraregional profiles of varietal thiols and precursors in Sauvignon Blanc juices and wines from the Adelaide Hills

Aims: To investigate the intraregional variation of varietal thiol precursors and free thiols in Sauvignon blanc grape juices and experimental wines arising from the Adelaide Hills Geographical Indication (GI) in South Australia.

Read More

La place du terroir dans le processus de patrimonialisation : l’exemple des paysages culturels viticoles du patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco

Eleven wine-growing sites are now on the UNESCO World Heritage List as Cultural Landscapes. If the viticultural character of these sites constitutes the main argument for the demonstration of their heritage value, the terroir and its biophysical and environmental characteristics tend however to appear in a minor mode compared to the aesthetic and cultural dimensions. In other words, the “specific characteristics of the soil, topography, climate, landscape and biodiversity” (OIV definition) are most often used as descriptive elements in the presentation of the sites, but it is more the aesthetic, historical,

Read More

Unveiling the impact of seasonal weather and fungicide spraying on vineyard autochthonous yeast populations: implications for Riesling wine quality

Fungicide spraying is a common viticultural practice that occurs throughout the growth season that protects developing vines and bunches against diseases caused by fungi or oomycetes.

Read More

Influence of agrophotovoltaic on vine and must in a cool climate

The current energy crisis means that interest in agrophotovoltaics has increased significantly. The reason behind this is that the system aims to combine agricultural production with energy production. During the three-year period from 2020 to 2022, the effects of photovoltaic panels on the vine, the yield and the quality of the must were studied in Walenstadt in northern Switzerland, an area with a cool, humid climate. 65 Pinot noir vines were planted in the 160m2 study area. Because of the large edge effects, only 3 repetitions with 4 vines each could be created. A significantly lower leaf infestation by Plasmopara viticola was observed among the panels in each of the three years.

Read More

Rootstock effects on cv. Ugni blanc berry and wine composition

In the Cognac region in France, Ugni blanc is the most planted grape variety (98% of the 80 500 ha). This vine region is in expansion due to the success of the associated well-known brandy and the need of high grape yield to guarrantee the production of base wine for distillation. About 2 to 3000 ha are newly planted each year and rootstocks are one powerfull tool for vineyard adaptation to soil or climate change. As rootstocks ensure water and mineral nutrient supplies to the scion, it is important to better understand their effect on berry compostionnal parameters such as sugars and nitrogen compounds, which are the main precursors for fermentary aroma metabolites, the latter being quality markers for Cognac after distillation.

Read More