Trade, regulation, culture and international markets
Trade, regulation, culture and international markets covers the legal geography of wine: how origin is protected, what labels must state, how wine crosses borders, and how culture shapes demand.
Origin systems
- France: AOP (formerly AOC) and IGP; rules govern area, varieties, yields and methods.
- Italy: DOCG, DOC and IGT, with DOCG the strictest.
- Spain: DO and DOCa (Rioja, Priorat).
- Germany: thirteen Anbaugebiete plus Prädikat ripeness levels; Prädikat indicates must weight at harvest, not finished sweetness.
- United States: AVAs are geographic boundaries, not quality grades. A US varietal label needs 75% of that grape and a vintage label 95%; the EU requires 85% for both.
- Australia and New Zealand use geographical indications.
Labels and trade
EU labels must show ABV, volume, allergen and sulphite declaration, lot number, bottler and origin; grape and vintage may be optional. Trade flows are shaped by tariffs, free-trade agreements, monopoly retail in Canada and the Nordics, and the US three-tier system. Sustainability and organic certification increasingly affect market access.
Worked example
"Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese." Reasoning: Wehlener Sonnenuhr is a Mosel vineyard; Riesling is the grape; Spätlese is a Prädikat meaning late-harvest ripeness, so must weight is higher than Kabinett. The wine may be fermented dry or off-dry - the term is not proof of sweetness.
Traps
Treating an AVA as a quality ranking. Reading Prädikat as a guarantee of sweetness. Confusing EU 85% rules with US 75% and 95% rules. Assuming a geographical indication guarantees a grape variety.