The French wine appellation system

The intensification of globalization implies the development of fierce international competition, regulated within the framework of the World Trade Organization. The complete liberalization of trade, expressed at the Marrakech, Cancun, and Doha summits, sometimes clashes with the diversity and differences between markets. In this context, many provisions that coordinate international trade are evolving. This is the case with Geographical Indications (GIs), the result of international and/or bilateral negotiations. But this international context has also encouraged the development of elaborate national protection systems, such as the French AOC system.

1) The genesis of the first Appellation of Origin

The Appellation of Origin (AOC) system emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. The phylloxera crisis of 1880 had severely damaged wine production in the country, and adulterated substitute "wines" made by mixing fruit juice, colorings, tartaric acid, and alcohol were sold throughout the country to meet demand. In response to this crisis, the " Vin Naturel" (Natural Wine ) designation was created, defining wine obtained through the fermentation of grapes. This definition, along with the emergence of the first Geographical Indications (GIs), was primarily aimed at combating fraud. The line between GIs and standards for food production was then quite thin. Nevertheless, the constant pressure from professional organizations under the pressure of successive crises (1911, 1913) led the government to legally define geographical areas according to "local, fair, and consistent" production standards. Many cheeses and wines obtained AOC status during the first quarter of the century.
Soon, the need for organized producer federations became apparent. The INAO (National Institute of Appellations of Origin), created in 1935, has the mission of organizing production towards a collective reputation and helping producers to protect it (Capus, 1937).
In the 1970s, as the development of the European wine market intensified, qualitative measures became necessary to organize supply in this sector. The concept of "Typicality" seemed to distinguish and justify the territorial roots of different products. Appellations of Origin (AOCs) champion this concept of typicality and are primarily reserved for struggling regions facing successive crises. However, they do not refer to any quality standard. They serve as a tool for differentiating wines, but they do not aim to segment or classify wines based on their intrinsic qualities (Casabianca, Sylvander et al., 2005).

2) The emphasis placed on quality by the AOC system

It was only from 1885 onwards that the AOC system began to focus on product quality. The French Ministry groups all the provisions within the framework of the "quality and origin labels" policy.
Gilbert Louis wrote in the 2001 report of the Economic and Social Council:
“Official quality and origin labels are not a recent, opportunistic response to market segmentation. They represent a long-term undertaking, begun at the start of the 20th century, aimed at equipping France with competitive tools, based on quality and origin, for the benefit of consumers, producers, and for a better organization of the national territory.”
French agricultural development relies on local initiative and the promotion of quality appears to be the best tool for rural development.
AOCs become more multifunctional as they become signals of quality, and the production rules they entail are often strengthened for this purpose.
Today, AOCs are not only responsible for the consistent quality and style of their winemaker's production, but also for protecting their image, status and name at the national and international level, as evidenced by the Champagne regulatory body: the CIVC.

Charles Bonnay

DO YOU WISH TO EXPORT FRENCH WINES?