Appellation D’Origine Controlee

THE CREATION OF THE APPELLATION D’ORIGINE CONTRÔLÉE (BASICALLY, THE APPELLATION OF CONTROLLED ORIGIN OR MORE SIMPLY, AOC) SYSTEM FOR ORGANISING AND REGULATING WINE IN FRANCE IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE KEY REASONS FOR ITS INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS. OTHERS FEEL IT’S A YOKE ON CREATIVITY AND PREFER THE LESS INHIBITED WAYS OF THE NEW WORLD. WHATEVER METHOD IS THE BETTER ROAD NOW, THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT THAT THE AOC HAS PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN ESTABLISHING A BASIS FOR THE FRENCH TO PUT IN PLACE AN INDUSTRY SANS PAREIL.

WORDS KEN GARGETT

CHAMPAGNE, IN PARTICULAR, NEEDED a firm hand.

The reasons for the riots which tore the district apart in the early part of last century have been discussed elsewhere, but they were just the tip of the iceberg – phylloxera, the toxic relations between Houses and growers, horrendous economic conditions both locally and abroad, too many poor vintages, the use of grapes from other regions by some of the less honourable Houses and more, were all factors tearing the world’s finest sparkling wine district apart from within. With the granting of AOC status in 1936, the region finally had the formal recognition it craved and so desperately needed.

Phylloxera had led to the establishment of the Association Viticole Champenoise (AVC) in 1898. As part of the fight against the destructive aphid, there was extensive replanting – replacing the diseased vines with grafted ones. The region’s vineyards dropped from 60,000 hectares to 12,000, allowing for the selection of the better sites. Vine density was reduced from an astonishing 40,000 vines per hectare to 8,000. Take a moment to consider how much juice 60,000 hectares, with a vine density of 40,000 vines per hectare, must have been providing. Throw in all that which came from outside the region and it is not hard to see why so many were struggling to make a successful living as grape prices were unsustainably low.

In 1904, the Fédération de syndicats (Federation of Champagne Unions) was formed to battle the forces of fraud. They sought the demarcation of the region and in 1927, legislation was passed to define the territory for the production of Champagne and also to provide regulations for quality production (following on from a 1908 decree). Within a few years, though, unsustainable increases in production with slumping sales, and the inevitable drop in grape prices, saw further regulations passed in 1935.

Elsewhere in France in that year, the system of the AOC was established (Champagne was hardly the only region with issues), along with the entity which was to regulate it all, the INAO (the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, which later became the ‘Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité’ but retained the same acronym).

Finally, in June of 1936, Champagne was decreed as an AOC (the laws of 1919, 1927 and 1935 were all ratified at the same time). The INAO was reformed in 2007 and the Champagne AOC became subject to those regulations in late 2010. ❧