<h1><a href="http://www.spanish-wine.biz/">Four Categories of French Wine</a></h1>

The French’s extensive knowledge of vines, climates and soils, and twenty centuries’ experience of viticulture ensure the quality for which French wine is known throughout the world. The modern French wine industry follows stringent production criteria defined by the law for quality control. The French wines are divided into four categories based on quality: Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée / Appellation of Controlled Origin (AOC), Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS), Vins De Pays and Vins De table de France.  Pursuant to the European Union classification of wines, AOC and VDQS qualify for Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) category.  Vins De Pays and Vins De table de France are placed under its table wine category.

AOC is the certification given to the French butters, cheeses, wines, etc confirming their authentic features associated with the geographical area of the production. The AOC wines follow strict norms spelt out for winery processes, vineyards, yield, grape varieties and different geographic areas. The wines also meet various standards related to climate, agronomy, geology and know-how. Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO), the national regulating body, grants the certificate. AOC, based on the principal of “local, loyal and constant”, accounts for 35% of the French wines. The country produces more than 400 AOC wines.

VDQS, Delimited Wines of Superior Quality, is of AOC quality. The wines, accounting for just 2%, follow the regulations laid out for AOC wines, but leniently. VDQS are thus inferior to AOC and better than Vins de Pays. The delimited wines should meet pre-defined criteria regarding organoleptic, analysis, cultivation techniques, maximum yield and alcohol content to qualify for the INAO certification.  

Vins De Pays (country wine), a recently developed category accounting for 15%, follows lenient production regulations, but requires tasting and analysis. About 150 wines fall under this category, which is divided, into three sub-categories: les vins de pays à dénomination départementale, les vins de pays à dénomination de zone and les vins de pays à dénomination régionale. Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins license these wines.

Vins De table de France, contributing 38% to the market, are entry-level wines featuring consistent aromas. There are strict marketing norms for these branded table wines of the French origin. The French wines mixed with other wines cannot be sold under this category.  The least regulated table wines meet minimum production criteria defined by the European Union but are not subject to specific approval and quality criteria.