🏷️ Protected designation of origin (wine)

Protected designation of origin (wine) is a European Union quality label: the wine is made in a defined area from grapes grown there. Protected designation of origin (PDO) is a European Union sign. It means the wine is made only in its own area and only from local grapes. All the grapes grow in that area, and the wine is made there as well.

Each such designation has its own rules. They set the grape varieties, yield per hectare, growing methods and ageing time. Checks are carried out by special bodies. The sign protects the name from imitation: a wine cannot be called Chablis unless it is made in Chablis.

Different countries call PDO by different names. In France it is AOC, in Italy DOC and DOCG, in Spain DO and DOCa, and also Vino de Pago, in Portugal DOC, in Austria DAC. Germany has Prädikatswein, Greece has PDO in its own form, and Romania has its own DOC. Ukraine and Georgia have equivalents too. Beside it stands the protected geographical indication (PGI), where rules are looser.