What are the AOCs and AOPs on France's Foods and Wine labels?

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com 

The AOC and AOP labels.
The Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, AOC.         The Controlled Mark of Origin
The Appellation d'Origine Protégée, AOP.        The Protected Designation of Origin

    
First, there was the French AOC, and now there is AOP as well.
However, for the consumer of French products nothing has changed.
    
It all began with grading wines.
          
Most grading began, in 1855 and 1856. when the best wines of Bordeaux were grouped into five categories called Crus; the AOC designation came much later.  (A single cru is pronounced croo, as is the plural crus). The different crus graded the unique places where the best grapes were grown along with the type of soil; then came, most importantly, the wine's popularity. The methods used in making the wine were not part of the rating, and at that time, it was expected that the crus were divisions of quality that could and would be changed as a wine improved or failed to keep up its standards and public acceptance. However, since 1856, only one wine in Bordeaux has upgraded its status, and none has ever been downgraded.

The original rating system for a wine’s cru was linked to the public’s evaluation of taste.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case today.  Moreover, modern agricultural methods and viniculture have leveled the playing field for many wines. Today, a vintner may produce a fabulous wine from a vineyard in a fourth cru while another producer with a second cru vineyard may be producing a wine that would be labeled as a cheap plonk if it came from anywhere else. Far better than buying by the date or the cru on a bottle is a pocket wine guide to France or a good friend who knows his or her wines.
   



Later came food products.

An AOP label’s promise today

The AOP guarantees that every product is produced uniquely, in a clearly defined place. All the ingredients and additives, if any, are public knowledge. 

When did the AOC and AOP become legal labels?

Without a legal background, anyone and anything could be labeled as a wine's producer, and misrepresentation was rampant. The first French laws enacted in 1905 and 1919 gave the background to the AOC for wines. The years that followed saw other legislation that created an institution to inspect and control the allocation of grades. In 1925, the first product to be awarded an AOC cheese was the Roquefort sheep's cheese, not a wine.
  
Camembert de Normandie AOP
Photograph courtesy of Fromage de Normandie

Laws established the AOC in 1935 and 1936, along with laws creating the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine, the National Institute for Signs of Origin and Quality, known as INAO. INAO is today responsible for the administration of all of France's government food and wine labels, including AOC, AOP, Label Rouge, the red label, IGP (the English-language PGI), and Agriculture Biologique, the AB organic farming label. The AOP became a legal label in 1992 as a Pan-European sign of quality.
 
Many consumers around the world, and surprisingly that includes quite many French men and women, assume that the products carrying the AOC and AOP labels have been recently tested for both quality and taste. However, who did the tasting for the Foin de or Crau AOC, which is a hay grown for animals, and the Huile Essentielle de Lavande AOC, an essential lavender oil used in aromatherapy, has never been questioned.

For the consumer, there is no difference between a
French product with an AOC or an AOP.

The French AOC and AOP regulations are so close to each other that consumers will notice no difference at all.  In one single case, there was a battle over who would own the AOP for a product.  Switzerland is associated with but is not a member of the European Union and after a court battle won the right to place an AOP on Gruyere cheese, France was left with an IGP for its own Gruyere.
  
The AOP, with a few minor changes, covers and replaces France's AOC, as it has Portugal’s DDOS, Spain’s DOP, and Italy’s DOCG, etc.  All the AOP regulations within the European Union and Switzerland are exactly the same.
   
 
The first French grade of beef cattle to have been awarded an AOC, now an AOP, for the constant and superior quality and also the taste of the beef was the Taureau de Camargue.  None of these animals will have been treated with antibiotics or growth hormones. All the young animals must be raised by their mothers until they are weaned.
 
The AOP and PGI labels have ended the European label wars and most confusion linked to names has ended.  Wherever you travel with the European Union and Switzerland, the AOP includes the same regulations and controls.
      
How do I choose a wine?
For the separate post that covers French wines with an AOC/AOP, an IGP, and or a Vins de France label, click here.
  
I recommend that travelers in France use one of the excellent English language (up-to-date) pocketbooks on wines.  You do not need a wine-tasting course before you leave, though it might help. With a book for the local wines on hand, you will be respected in a wine store or by a sommelier in a restaurant. They will, hopefully, not try to get rid of old stock on someone who can clearly check what is being sold. The AOC and AOP labels do not control the taste and caveat emptor, while the AOC/AOP controls how a product was made it cannot control how it was stored or cooked. There are nearly 400 named French AOP wines and over 40,000 producers,

Unfortunately, since 1935 with two exceptions no AOC wine has had its rating changed, one went up.

Products that have received an  AOC award since the 1950s have been held to higher standards. Now there are organoleptic tests for taste and smell; however, stripping a product of its French AOC, once it has been awarded is unheard of. 

Since the first AOC was granted some one hundred years ago, not a single wine has been taken off the list. Listen to friends, listen to the sommelier, and read what the books say. Remember that storage is very, very important for wines, and storage and cooking are paramount for food products.
 
Products and produce with an AOC/AOP

Over 350 wines
Forty-six cheeses including AbondanceBanon, Beaufort,  Bleu d'Auvergne, Bleu de Causses,  Bleu de Gex, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, Brie de MelunBrie de Meaux, Brocciu, Camembert , Cantal AOCChabichou du Poitou, Charolais, Chevrotin, Chaource AOCComte AOCCrottin de ChavignolÉpoisses, Fourme d'Ambert, Fourme de Montbrison Le Chambérat, Laguiole , Langres, LivarotMâconnais, Maroilles, Mont-d'Or,   Pelardon,  Maroilles AOPMorbier, Munster AOC, NeufchatelOssau-Iraty, Pelardon des Cévennes,  Picodon,  Pont-l'Évêque, Pouligny Saint-Pierre, Reblochon, Rigotte de Condrieu Rocamadour, Roquefort,  Saint NectaireSainte-Maure de Touraine,  Salers, Sassenage, Selles sur Cher,  Tome des Bauges,  and Valençay AOP.
  


One fresh cream,

Two grape brandies, Cognac and Armagnac, one Apple brandy Calvados, (Calvados is really two different apple brandies and one pear and apple brandy) that all come from the French mainland.  One type of Rum.
A limited number of fruits and vegetables, including two magnificent table grapes, the Muscat du Ventoux grapes, and the Raisin Chasselas de Moissac AOC


Some special vegetables include the Tomate de Marmande, the Coco de Paimpol bean, and the Haricot Tarbais bean .
One special herb, the Garlic from Cadour.
Some truly special poultry, the Volaille de Bresse.
Two strains of lamb the Prés-salés de la Baie de Somme AOC and the Prés-salés du Mont-Saint-Michel AOC
One unique small, farmed mussel, the Moules de Bouchots de la Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel.
and more.
                                                       
How a product receives an AOP in France today.
 
Following the award of a French AOC, another committee made up of representatives, including those from other European countries, checks the approval process.  That procedure involves many steps and many inspections and controls. To be awarded an AOC in France and a Pan-European AOP is a process that can take years.
      
Pay’s d’Auge Cider AOP
   
The use of the AOP  label on French AOC products
   
As with all changes, not everyone is happy. The existing French AOC holders, along with products with similar ratings from other countries, were grandfathered in and received their AOPs without any new inspections or controls. That includes the wines that have not been rated in the last 50 plus years.   For the producers, the holders of the French-issued AOP offer the added value of an accepted accreditation across the European Union’s 28 member states,
       
If you are a French farmer, cheese maker, vintner, or producer of products that have the right to use the initials AOP, then you are practically made for life.  That same bankable value is the target for all those waiting for approval of an AOP.  
   
     
The AOP label and logo.
  
The same AOP logo in the same color and design is used throughout the whole European Union. The label is available in French, English, Italian, and German; no doubt other languages will be added later.


The French language Appellation d'Origine Protégée
AOP
      
The English language Protected Designation of Origin
PD0  
  
The Italian language Denominazione di Origine Protetta.
DOP
   
The  German language Geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung.
g.U.
     
The AOP is still a work in progress with some of the newest members of the EU as they upgrade their production method and must keep the same standards.  One of the most significant areas of growth is in organic agriculture and livestock. 
The violet-colored garlic of Cadours.
Photograph courtesy of Ail Violet de Cadours    
   
An AOP genuinely points the way to a unique product. But...

How will the European Union deal with products that have never been tested in the last 50 or 100 years?  How do you know if a product has been properly stored? How do you know when a good product has been badly cooked? An AOC and AOP guarantee that the product is unique, but when you are seated at the table, only you may decide if it was worth the price you paid for it.
     
Bon Appétit.

------------------------------------------

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
 
Copyright 2010, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2024.

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1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing this! I’m delighted with this information, where such important moments are captured. All the best!

    ReplyDelete

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