Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 1.11
A deep red loam on colluvial
basalt in a vineyard in the Willamette
Valley region, Oregon. See color insert.
landholdings to be broken up, with the result that vineyards were fragmented
into 0.5 to 1 ha blocks (called
climats
) and acquired by many owners. However,
much of the unofficial classification of wine from the
climats
in Burgundy was pre-
served and incorporated in 1861 into an official Appellation d'Origine Contrôllée
(AOC) system, which still exists today. Now there are several hundred appella-
tions in the greater Burgundy region.
The French AOC system expresses the concept of
terroir
through an identi-
fication of viticultural areas (regions), based on the distinctive character of wines
traditionally produced in those regions. The AOC system prescribes the cultivars,
viticultural methods, maximum yield, and wine alcohol content that are accept-
able in a particular appellation, and the wines produced are allocated to four cat-
egories from the top down—Appellation Contrôllée, Vin Délimité de Qualité
Supérieure, Vin de Pays, and Vin de Table.
Despite the reputation of many of the wines in top categories of the AOC
system, there is much wine of ordinary quality marketed in the lower categories.
An imbalance of supply and demand and fierce international competition have
led to a relaxation of AOC regulations in some French wine regions and in similar
regulatory systems in force in Italy and Spain. Also, New World countries have
