Appellation

For other uses, see Appellation (disambiguation)

An appellation is a geographical-based term used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown. The rules that govern appellations are dependent on the country in which the wine was produced. Historically, the world's first vineyard classification system was introduced by the Hungarians in Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary in 1730.

History

Hungarian Tokaji wine saw the creation of the world's first appellation control in 1730. Vineyards were classified into three categories depending on the soil, sun exposure and potential to develop Botrytis cinerea. The subdvisions were: first class, second class and third class wines. A royal decree by the Hungarian crown in 1757 established a closed production district in Tokaj. The classification system was completed by the national censuses of 1765 and 1772. The world's second oldest appellation control was introduced in Portugal in 1756 pertaining to port wine which was produced in the region of the Douro valley. Rioja was classified as a Denominación de Origen in 1925 and sherry in 1933. In 1935, the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO), a branch of the French Ministry of Agriculture, was created to manage the administration of the process for wines in France. In the Rhone wine region Baron Pierre Le Roy Boiseaumarié, a trained lawyer and winegrower from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, successfully obtained legal recognition of the "Côtes du Rhône" appellation of origin in 1937. The AOC seal was created and mandated by French laws in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Prior to 1935, despite the fact that the INAO was yet to be created, champagne enjoyed an appellation control by virtue of legal protection as part of the Treaty of Madrid (1891). The treaty stated that only sparkling wine produced in its namesake region and adhering to the standards defined for that name as an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée could call itself champagne. This right was reaffirmed in the Treaty of Versailles following World War I. Other appellation controls have followed since with one of the more recent ones being created in the United States. The first recognized AVA was Augusta, Missouri, in 1980. Augusta's wine region approval was based largely on its long historical relationship with wine in the United States. Augusta encompasses a 15 square mile plot of land along the Missouri River, which moderates temperature and provides an optimal climate for growing vitis vinifera. Germany is unusual among wine-producing countries in that their most prestigious classification, Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP), is based on the ripeness of the grapes regardless of their geographical origin. So their geographical classification, Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete (QbA), is more akin to France's second-tier Vin Délimité de Qualité Superieure.

List of appellations

• European Union: Protected Designation of Origin
  • Austria: Districtus Austria Controllatus
  • France: Appellation d'origine contrôlée
  • Germany: German wine classification
  • Greece: ονομασία προελεύσεως ελεγχομένη
  • Italy: Denominazione di Origine Controllata
  • Portugal: Denominação de Origem Controlada
  • Romania: Denumire de Origine Controlată^[1]
  • Spain: Denominación de Origen
  • United Kingdom: Quality Wine Scheme^[2]
• Australia: Australian Geographical Indications ^[3]
• Canada: Vintners Quality Alliance
• Chile: see Chilean wine
• South Africa: Wine of Origin
• United States: American Viticultural Area

References

• Appellation America Wine Portal - Information about each and every recognized wine appellation in the United States and Canada. Detailed descriptions and comprehensive listing of all wineries located therein, as well as listing of all varietal wine grapes grown in each region.