How to read a French wine label and find the wine you love!

As wine drinkers, we often know what we like, but what if we want to get curious and want to explore other wines, especially the more classic wines from France? It can often be a little tricky to understand exactly what you’re buying when you look at a French wine label, but we can make it easier with a brief explanation of some key terms that may help you decide.

1.     AOP – Appellation d’Origine Protegée

The AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protegée) or ‘Protected Named Origin‘ wine classification in France means the wine comes from a specific region and the AOP classification rules dictate the grapes that can be used, winemaking techniques and quality-related practices in the vineyard. There are over 350+wine and spirits appellations in France, so it can be very confusing!

The AOP on the bottle can be a broad reference to a whole region e.g. AOP Languedoc, AOP Bordeaux or AOP Bourgogne or a more specific sub-region of a larger area, for example, in the Languedoc, you will find the sub-appellations of AOP St Chinian  or AOP Faugères. Essentially, the classification refers to where the grapes are grown, sometimes grapes from an area as small as a specific village or even one vineyard that is recognised for its historically high quality wines. The AOP classification also dictates what grapes can be used and whether the wine will be red, white, rosé or sparkling. Well-known examples would be AOP Fleurie (a red wine from the Beaujolais, made from the Gamay grape)  or AOP Sancerre (a white Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire region) and AOP Champagne. The highest quality classification is “lieu-dit”, (a specific named site or a single vineyard), where quantities are very limited and can be much more expensive.

2. IGP - “Indication Géographique Protegée”

The other major quality classification in France is IGP or “Indication Géographique Protegée” (protected geographical origin), which is a step below AOP in terms of strictness. It allows winemakers more flexibility in grape varieties and winemaking techniques while still showing the wine’s regional identity. There is much more room for innovation and experimentation under the IGP label, resulting in more premium, quality wines, especially from the Languedoc, in recent years.

How will I know what I like? Matching grapes with regions

This is where it can feel complicated, especially for AOP wines. The easiest way to recognise if you will enjoy an AOP wine that only references where it is from, rather than the grape variety, is to become familiar with the primary grapes associated with particular regions. For example, Bordeaux’s red wines are mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends, Côte du Rhône reds will be based on Syrah and Grenache blends. AOP Languedoc, AOP St-Chinian and AOP Faugères wines are also blends of Syrah and Grenache from the Languedoc region. For whites, the Loire wines of AOP Sancerre and Touraine are made from Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay is the key grape used in white wines from Burgundy (‘Bourgogne’) and its villages (e.g. Mâcon).

One of the great advantages of a wine that is labelled under the IGP classification is that the grape varieties can be named on the label, which is not usually the case with AOP wines, so the wine style is much easier to understand. Laurent Miquel white wines are labelled under this IGP classification – the label tells you where the wine is from (e.g. the IGP Pays d’Oc or the sub-regional IGP Aude) and what the grape variety in the bottle is, e.g. Albarino, Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir etc. The IGP wines also offer the winemaker an opportunity to give some more information about the wine on the label, for example, Côte 128 Pech Sévignac Viognier refers to the average altitude (128m) of the vineyard slope (côte), while Pech Sévignac is the name of the local hillside. IGP wines are not necessarily of lower quality. In fact, our top cuvée white wines are both IGP wines from single vineyard sites - Lieu-dit La Croix Chardonnay, from Château Auzines, and Lieu-dit La Vérité Viognier, from our Château Cazal Viel estate.

There is lots to discover about French wines from the Languedoc and beyond, whether you choose an AOP or IGP wine. Take the time to become familiar with them and trust your favourite producers to find you something new to enjoy. Why not get curious about wine this festive season and explore some unfamiliar wines to find a new favourite!

Examples of Laurent Miquel IGP Wines

Lagrasse Albarino, IGP Aude

Père et Fils Chardonnay-Viognier, IGP Pays d'Oc

Lieu-dit, La Vérité Viognier, IGP Pays d'Oc

Examples of Laurent Miquel AOP Wines

Côte 136, Pech Cézarine, AOP St-Chinian (Syrah-Grenache)

Kinsale, AOP Faugères (Syrah-Grenache)

Lieu-dit, Bardou, AOP St-Chinian (Syrah Grenache)