| Vins sans Indication Géographique (VSIG)/ Wine without Geographical Indication | Notes |
| Vin de France | Variety and vintage may appear on the label. No set minimum yield for this category. |
| PGI Wines | Traditional Term |
| Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP) | Vin de Pays |
| PDO Wines | Traditional Term |
| Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP) | Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) |
Understanding an AOC cahier des charges
The cahier des charges is the document defining rules and regulations for each AOC in France, as published by the INAO.
Encépagement vs. Assemblage
In AOC/P documents, there are separate requirements for encépagement and assemblage. Take note: encépagement refers to grape varieties in the vineyard, while assemblagerefers to the composition of the final wine. Often prescribed percentages for varieties align in vineyard and winery align exactly; however, there are many instances in which they do not. In our compendium entries, we have listed both requirements only in cases in which they do not match up.
Maximum Yield
Most AOCs list only the minimum potential alcohol – meaning the amount of alcohol a winemaker should expect if the wine is fermented dry. If a minimum acquired alcohol is also set, this refers to the actual alcohol produced through fermentation. When both values are listed, the AOC typically produces sweet wines.