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Buying French Wine by the Label
by Luca Discenza For many casual wine drinkers and new enthusiasts, reading and understanding a wine label can be confusing and often intimidating. This especially applies to wines coming from Old World wine producing countries such as France. France has unique wine regulations and labelling terminology, often required by the region’s winemaking regulations that can mask some of the important information for the perspective buyer. In this series of articles, we breakdown the most common labelling vocabulary to help you understand what is inside the bottles you are purchasing in stores, restaurants and online.
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Where do I Start When Buying Wine from Europe?
There are common required wine regulations to look for that indicate quality form the European Union, which includes France, Italy and Spain. Some requirements are in the form of Geographical Indications (GIs). These indications fall into two categories: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI). They also apply to other agricultural products, but are extensively used in wine labelling within Europe. The key difference between a PDO and a PGI, is that a PDO places an emphasis on both the unique characteristics of the region and, as well as, the grapes and vinification method. A PGI wine indicates only the geographical distinction. What we find in common between the Spanish, Italian, and French wine labels, is that each country’s PDO wines do not list the grape variety on the front label. This is due to the fact that the varietals are part of the regulation that places the wine under the PDO distinction. Starting with these initial guidelines, we can look at the unique system of each country’s labels and learn their terms.
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How do I Shop for French Wine?
Of the three countries covered in this series, France arguably has the most extensive and intimidating wine labelling system and terminology. Listed are the three main tiers of wine labels found in France to help you buy wine from France. - Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) – This is the highest level of regulation for French wines. These are PDO wines are defined by their region. Often seen as Appellation Contrôlée on wine labels, these specific regions have restrictions on the grapes that are allowed to be grown as a single-variety wine, or as a blend. Because of this regulation, AOP wines will not have a grape variety named on the label. As well, AOP wines can also have a variation in the specificity on their label. For example, red wines that use Pinot Noir grown anywhere in the recognized Burgundy (Bourgogne) region can be labelled as Appellation Bourgogne Contrôlée. However, a wine might only contain Pinot Noir grapes from a specific commune within Burgundy, such as Beaune. In this case, that wine could be labelled as Appellation Beaune Contrôlée. These more defined geographical designations can vary in size and can be as large as the wine region itself, or as small as a single vineyard plot. This labelling system is used across all of France’s regulated regions and the Loire Valley, Burgundy and Bordeaux, are popular examples.
- Indication Geographic Protégée (IGP) – This is the new regulatory term for what is often seen on labels as Vin du Pays (VDP). These terms, IGP and VDP, are not to be confused with the generic term Vin du France there are specified areas that define a VDP. These regions, are much larger than AP wines and have fewer regulations and requirements. The IGP labelling term is found on wines of all quality levels. IGP wines can often be found on wines that could have been designated under an AP region, but the wine uses grapes, or winemaking measures, and do not comply with the requirements and regulations of AP wines in the region.
- Vin du France – Is the lowest level of regulation of wines in France.These wines can use any grapes sourced from any specified, or unspecified region, of France as a single varietal or as a blend.
Regionally Specific Labelling
Additionally, along with the national labelling terms, it is important to note that each of France’s distinct wine regions under the Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) utilize specific terminology for each region to further describe and recognize the quality wines of each region. While some of these terms can be found in multiple regions, they can often have different interpretations specific to that region’s labelling system.
Other Common French Wine Labelling Terms: - Domaine – A similar term Château to most often seen in Burgundy
- Château – Term found most often in Bordeaux to denote the wine coming from a specific estate and its vineyards
- Mis en Bouteille au Château– Literally translated, Bottled at the Estate, the wine was vinted by the winery using grapes owned by the estate
- Biologique – An organic wine
- Sur Lie – Means the wine was aged on its lees: dead or dormant yeast which adds texture and additional flavour components to a wine
- Grand Vin – An estate or winery’s declaration of its flagship wine
- Cuvée – A blended wine
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For many wine drinkers, picking out a new bottle to try based on the label alone can be tricky. In many stores, you may find yourself constantly Googling the label terms trying to discover what might be inside the bottle you might buy next, or the product consultants in store may be to busy to help you out during the Friday night dinner rush. In our online store at 30.50 Imports, we make searching for and understanding each wine simple and convenient. We provide technical details about every wine, an in depth description of the flavour profiles of each wine, descriptions of the terroir and winery the bottle originates from, and even pairing suggestions. Click this link to shop French, as well as wines from across Europe and the New World.
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