🏷️ Regional appellation

A regional appellation is the broadest designation in France, covering wine from a whole region. One of the best-known examples is Bourgogne for Burgundy. Other examples are Bordeaux and Alsace. It is the lowest level of the French AOC (AOP) system when you look at the pyramid of appellations.

Above it, in rising order, come village appellations named after villages, then premier cru and finally grand cru: the smaller the area, the stricter the rules. Regional wine may be made from grapes from the whole territory, so its quality varies. But it is usually cheaper and closer to simple everyday wine.

For a buyer, a regional appellation is a way to get to know the style of a region at a small price. A good producer makes regional wine with enough care too. A village appellation differs in that its grapes grow around one village. Regional appellation belongs to French wine, and the AOC system protects place names and production rules. If the label shows only the name of the region, it is a regional wine.