Appellations

The geography of wine

The idea of a geographic area of origin isn’t unique to wine grapes – other kinds of food can have appellations as well (think of Florida oranges, perhaps). But nowhere is identifying the origin of food taken as seriously as it is with wine grapes. Unique appellation names help people make informed decisions when buying wine. That’s why claiming an appellation carries legal definitions and protections.

An appellation can be as large as hundreds of thousands of acres and contain many separate vineyards, or it can be as small as a single vineyard of only a few acres. But aside from just indicating where the grapes come from, designating an appellation can imply the kinds of grapes grown, the maximum grape yields, alcohol levels, and other factors that may influence the quality and taste of wines that list that appellation on their label. Rules about appellations vary by country, but winegrowers all over the world take great pride of ownership to protect the use of their appellations on wine labels.

Appellations can be found all over the world, and sometimes go by other names. In France, perhaps the most famous appellation is Champagne. Like Champagne, many wines in France and Italy have become synonymous with their appellation. Here in the United States, where most wines are identified first by varietal grape, we have official “American Viticultural Areas” or “AVAs”. There are just fewer than 200 such areas today. An example of an AVA is an area you may have heard of – Napa Valley in California.