AOC
Intermediate Regions & Terroirah-oh-SEH
Definition
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée — France's controlled designation of origin.
In Depth
Established 1935, AOC (now AOP) defines geographic boundaries, permitted grapes, maximum yields, minimum alcohol, and winemaking methods for French wines. The system created the template for wine appellation systems worldwide. There are roughly 360 AOCs in France, from broad regional (Bordeaux) to single-vineyard (Romanée-Conti). AOC guarantees origin and style, not quality.
Related Guides
- Understanding Wine Labels: A Beginner's Guide
- Bordeaux: The World's Most Famous Wine Region
- Burgundy: Where Terroir Is Everything
- Alsace: France's Germanic Wine Frontier
- Rhône Valley: From Hermitage to Châteauneuf
- Loire Valley: France's Garden of Wines
- The Rise of Bordeaux and Burgundy
- The Phylloxera Crisis: When Wine Almost Died
- The Judgment of Paris 1976
- The History of Champagne: From Still to Sparkling
- Investing in Bordeaux: The Blue-Chip Region
- Champagne: The Definitive Guide
Details
- Category
- Regions & Terroir
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Pronunciation
- ah-oh-SEH