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Wine classification

The laws about a wine must maintain a certain level of quality of wines and guarantee its origin. But to understand the European laws about wine, especially French, not a trivial task. We'll walk through some of the points wine classification.

Wine classification - Table wines

To table wines are minimum requirements originating from areas of mass wine or areas suitable for quality wine. Table wines must have a minimum density of wort -50 ° Oxsley, acidity - not less than 4,5 g / liter. There are no restrictions on the place of origin, yield grapes wine wines not presented. You can use any grape (from legal in the European Union) and blending, and from different European countries are allowed to add sugar for the must. On the labels of such wines you will not find class from which it done and crop year. Table wines make up about 2/3 wines produced in Europe. Despite their reasonable prices, some of them still unsold and sent back to the distillation of alcohol.

To save situation in 1973 in Europe appeared intermediate category of wines - local wines, which crossed the best of table wines. Requirements for these wines is slightly higher than table wine: 0.5 above the minimum spirtuoznost and they should occur, albeit major, but certain regions of cultivation of grapes and wines should be, well, from certain varieties. Ex?ept France (Vin de Pays) where this category is the fifth part of wine, now local wines in Europe almost don't produce.

Requirements for quality wines are even higher. The grapes for this wine should be a specific winemaking region, it is grown in a particular location. V. Q. P. R. D. (Vin de Qualite Produit dans les Regions Determinees) - the label can be found on the labels of qualitative (vintage wines, means it is just and comes from a certain wine region.

the minimum content of alcohol in wine must be no less then 8.5% (usually). In most wine-producing regions, adding sugar is allowed a maximum of 2.5% ???? fermented alcohol. Decrease or increase the acidity of the wine is allowed, provided that is not applied shaptalization. The amount of volatile acids in wine, should not exceed 1.2 g per litre. List of substances for lighting, stabilization etc wines were clearly defined. Quality wines should not be blended with wines witch were produced outside the European Union.

In addition for general requirements of each wine-producing region it has own rules for their wines.

Limitations, requirements may relate to: permitted grape varieties, crop yields, minimum alcohol wines, minimum acidity, delay.

In France and Italy, there is another category of wines from some larger but less well-known regions, V. D. Q. S. (Vin Delimite de Qualite Superieure) and I. G. T (Indicazione Geografica Tipica), respectively. By definition, it includes wine quality on the stage below vintage wines.

Italy and Spain quality wines are divided into qualified or controlled by a guarantee. In Germany and Austria quality wines are divided into quality wines wine and wine with the predicate. With graduation this depends only on the sugar grape mash from which produced wine. The wine with predicate cannot add sugar.

Requirements for wines outside Europe

In non-European countries making not so tightly regulated. There are no restrictions on yield grapes. Adding sugar is permitted only in New Zealand. Increasing acidity is permitted (especially hot climate of most of these countries). Division by wine-making regions precent, but generally without specifying requirements for wine. Wine can be considered as a varietal, with the right to specify it on the label, if it contains not less than 85% of the grapes, for USA, Australia, and not less than 75 per cent for South Africa and Chile.