Our friends at Food and Wine Magazine produce a wonderful book about wines called Food and Wine Magazine's Official Wine Guide. The following information is excerpted from the magazine's Wine Guide 2000. (Copyright 1999 American Express Publishing Company 1120 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY. ISBN:15222-001X). You can also visit their website at wine.com. For copies of their annual wine guide, please go to Baker Books, on of the finest quality bookstores anywhere.

On the Label
"In response to widespread wine fraud in the early 20th century, France evolved a series of regulations and oversight organizations that culminated in its system of Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée…It's purpose was to stabilize the industry by protecting the names of the traditional styles of France's famous. It was never intended to be, as is widely misperceived, a guarantee of wine quality for the consumer."
The article, on page 19 goes on further to state that: "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée literally means controlled name of origin and it is based on the concept that the wine from every area has a particular character resulting from terroir and tradition. The more specific the area the more specific the character."

After centuries of planting and decades of refinement the concept of the appellation or region of origin is inseparable with not only French wines but also with the vast majority of European wines. In France the classification of wine is divided into four distinct categories… Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée is the highest.

Again, from the Official Wine Guide:

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée: About one-third of French wines carry the classification Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC). To be an AOC wine, the wine must conform to strict rules governing prescribed geography, permitted grape varieties, maximum yields, methods of viticulture and vinification, and minimum alcohol content. Most of France's mainstream wines fall into this category.

Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure: Only about 1 percent of the French wines are categorized as Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure (VDQS; superior quality wine from a defined area), a stepping stone to AOC. In recent years, many VDQ wines, such as the Loire's Cheverny in 1993, have been elevated to AOC.

Vin de Pays: In 1973, the category was Vin de Pays (VdP; country wine) was created to address persistent over production and abysmal quality in areas such as the Languedoc-Roussillon. The areas specified as Vin de Pays are usually entire regions such as the Languedoc-Roussillon. The areas specified as Vin de Pays are usually entire regions or departments. This less stringent designation allows varietal labeling and encourages the use of non-traditional grapes, while at the same time tightening quality standards.

Vin de Table: The lowest category, Vin de Table is basically jug wine.

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