Appellation

An appellation is a defined geographical wine area whose name is protected and tied to a set of rules for how the wine may be made. The rules typically specify which grapes may be used, how much can be harvested per area, and which growing and production methods are permitted. The idea is that the name on the label should be a reliable piece of information about both origin and style. In France you know the system as AOC or AOP (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée), and it is the backbone of the way French wines are categorised.

For you as a drinker, an appellation means that the name tells you something about what is in the bottle. If it says Champagne, you know that the wine is sparkling, made by the traditional method, and comes from the defined Champagne area in France. The same style made somewhere else may not call itself Champagne, even if the grapes and method are the same. In this way an appellation links an area's terroir, that is its soil, climate and location, with a recognisable taste and quality.

A common misunderstanding is that an appellation is always a tiny area. Some are very small and narrowly defined, while others can cover an entire region or a large district. A broad appellation says less about the individual plot and more about the region's overall style, while a narrow one often points to a more specific expression.