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Appellation d'origine contrôlée
In France, the appellation d'origine contrôlée (French pronunciation: [apɛlasjɔ̃ dɔʁiʒin kɔ̃tʁole], lit. 'controlled designation of origin'; abbr. AOC [a.o.se]) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the terroir – and using recognized and traditional know-how. The specificity of an AOC product is determined by the combination of a physical and biological environment with established production techniques transmitted within a human community. Together, these give the product its distinctive qualities.
The defining technical and geographic factors are set forth in standards for each product, including wines, cheeses and meats. Other countries and the European Union have similar labeling systems. The European Union's protected designation of origin (PDO and PGI) system has harmonized the protection of all geographical indications and their registration. When labelling wine however, producers may still use recognized traditional terms like AOC, and are not required to display the PDO and PGI logos or terms, mostly for aesthetic reasons.
The AOC certification of authenticity is granted to certain geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO). The certification system is designed to protect distinctive and traditional regional products, based upon the concept of terroir. Terroir refers to a given geographical area having specific environmental and human features that affect an agricultural product's key characteristics. These factors are meant to capture unique environmental features (e.g. type of soil, topology of the production environment, local climate) and farming and processing practices (e.g. the steps taken and inputs used in producing a specific type of cheese). Thus, it includes the traditional savoir-faire that goes into the production of AOC products. Taken together, these give the product its distinctive qualities.[better source needed]
The terroirs of AOCs vary dramatically in size. Some cover vast expanses with a variety of climatic and soil conditions, while others are small and highly uniform.[citation needed] For example, the Côtes du Rhône AOC covers some 75,000 acres (about 30,000 hectares) and 171 villages, making it one of the largest AOCs. However, within its area lies one of the smallest AOCs, Château-Grillet, which occupies less than 4 hectares (9.9 acres) of land.
The INAO's mission is to ensure that all AOC products are held to a rigorous set of clearly defined standards; they are to be produced in a consistent and traditional manner with ingredients from specifically classified producers in designated geographical areas. The products must also be aged at least partially in the respective designated area.[citation needed]
Under French law, it is illegal to manufacture and sell a product under one of the AOC-controlled geographical indications if it does not comply with the criteria of the AOC. In order to make them easily recognizable, all AOC products carry a seal. The seal displays a number as well as the name of the certifying body. The color of the seal indicates the product classification: green for field products and red for dairy products.[citation needed]
To prevent any possible misrepresentation, no part of an AOC name may be used on a label of a product not qualifying for that AOC. This strict label policy can lead to confusion, especially where towns share names with appellations. If the town of origin of a product contains a controlled appellation in its name, the producer (who is legally required to identify the place of origin on the product label but legally prohibited from using the full town's name unless the product is an approved AOC product) is enjoined from listing anything more than a cryptic postal code. For example, there are a dozen townships in l'Aude that have Cabardès in their names, several of which are not even within the geographical boundaries of the Cabardès AOC. Any vineyard that produces wine in one of those towns must not mention the name of the town of origin on the product labels.[citation needed]
The origins of AOC date to 1411, when the production of blue Roquefort cheese was regulated by parliamentary decree. The first French law determining viticultural designations of origin dates to the 1 August 1905, and, on 6 May 1919, the Law for the Protection of the Place of Origin was passed, specifying the region and commune in which a given product must be manufactured. This law has since been revised many times.
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Appellation d'origine contrôlée
In France, the appellation d'origine contrôlée (French pronunciation: [apɛlasjɔ̃ dɔʁiʒin kɔ̃tʁole], lit. 'controlled designation of origin'; abbr. AOC [a.o.se]) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the terroir – and using recognized and traditional know-how. The specificity of an AOC product is determined by the combination of a physical and biological environment with established production techniques transmitted within a human community. Together, these give the product its distinctive qualities.
The defining technical and geographic factors are set forth in standards for each product, including wines, cheeses and meats. Other countries and the European Union have similar labeling systems. The European Union's protected designation of origin (PDO and PGI) system has harmonized the protection of all geographical indications and their registration. When labelling wine however, producers may still use recognized traditional terms like AOC, and are not required to display the PDO and PGI logos or terms, mostly for aesthetic reasons.
The AOC certification of authenticity is granted to certain geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products by the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO). The certification system is designed to protect distinctive and traditional regional products, based upon the concept of terroir. Terroir refers to a given geographical area having specific environmental and human features that affect an agricultural product's key characteristics. These factors are meant to capture unique environmental features (e.g. type of soil, topology of the production environment, local climate) and farming and processing practices (e.g. the steps taken and inputs used in producing a specific type of cheese). Thus, it includes the traditional savoir-faire that goes into the production of AOC products. Taken together, these give the product its distinctive qualities.[better source needed]
The terroirs of AOCs vary dramatically in size. Some cover vast expanses with a variety of climatic and soil conditions, while others are small and highly uniform.[citation needed] For example, the Côtes du Rhône AOC covers some 75,000 acres (about 30,000 hectares) and 171 villages, making it one of the largest AOCs. However, within its area lies one of the smallest AOCs, Château-Grillet, which occupies less than 4 hectares (9.9 acres) of land.
The INAO's mission is to ensure that all AOC products are held to a rigorous set of clearly defined standards; they are to be produced in a consistent and traditional manner with ingredients from specifically classified producers in designated geographical areas. The products must also be aged at least partially in the respective designated area.[citation needed]
Under French law, it is illegal to manufacture and sell a product under one of the AOC-controlled geographical indications if it does not comply with the criteria of the AOC. In order to make them easily recognizable, all AOC products carry a seal. The seal displays a number as well as the name of the certifying body. The color of the seal indicates the product classification: green for field products and red for dairy products.[citation needed]
To prevent any possible misrepresentation, no part of an AOC name may be used on a label of a product not qualifying for that AOC. This strict label policy can lead to confusion, especially where towns share names with appellations. If the town of origin of a product contains a controlled appellation in its name, the producer (who is legally required to identify the place of origin on the product label but legally prohibited from using the full town's name unless the product is an approved AOC product) is enjoined from listing anything more than a cryptic postal code. For example, there are a dozen townships in l'Aude that have Cabardès in their names, several of which are not even within the geographical boundaries of the Cabardès AOC. Any vineyard that produces wine in one of those towns must not mention the name of the town of origin on the product labels.[citation needed]
The origins of AOC date to 1411, when the production of blue Roquefort cheese was regulated by parliamentary decree. The first French law determining viticultural designations of origin dates to the 1 August 1905, and, on 6 May 1919, the Law for the Protection of the Place of Origin was passed, specifying the region and commune in which a given product must be manufactured. This law has since been revised many times.