🏷️ Vin de pays / IGP

Vin de pays / IGP is a category of French wine named after its area, with looser rules than the appellations of origin. IGP (in France formerly "vin de pays", "country wine") is a wine category with a protected geographical indication. It sits below AOC: the rules are looser and the area is usually wider. The category gave good wines outside the strict appellations an official status. The producer names a territory on the label, such as a region or a department. The list of allowed grapes is much freer than in AOC, so varieties not permitted in prestigious appellations often appear here. The national institute INAO oversees it. Each IGP has its own rules: permitted varieties, maximum yield and minimum alcohol. Above it on the scale is AOC (PDO in the European system); below it is plain "wine of France" (vin de France). For a buyer, IGP is a clear signpost. It says where the wine comes from, but does not demand the strict traditions of a single village.