French Wine Classifications

Brief explanations of official classifications occur in some of the chapter introductions to follow. The classifications of the Côte d’Or, in Burgundy, and of the principal regions of Bordeaux are insular; if considered separately, each may seem to make sense but, taken together, they become very confusing. The Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (A.O.C.), as defined by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (I.N.A.O.), in some instances incorporates the terms of the regional classification into the appellation contrôlée; in others it does not. By some miracle, all of the classifications use the same vocabulary but the words do not have the same meanings; Grand and Premier assume different levels of distinction in each classification (when the word ‘Grand’ does not occur in the official classification, as in Médoc where the highest distinction is Premier Cru, its use is not controlled and it appears indiscriminately on labels) and a cru (growth) in Burgundy bears no relation to a cru in Bordeaux.