European Union wine growing zones
Encyclopedia
The European Union wine growing zones is a tool used in the common European Union wine regulations
to regulate
certain aspects of winemaking
. The zones differ in terms of climate
and examples of what is regulated by wine growing zone are required grape maturity at harvest and allowed levels of chaptalisation. There are 21 wine producing countries in the European Union, with 14 of them having significant levels of production. During the 2004-2005 vintage
, total European Union wine production was around 184 million hectoliters (4.8 billion gallon
s) which accounted for nearly 70% of total worldwide production. Of that total nearly 55% was classified as table wine
with 4% used in the production of grape based Distilled spirits such as Armagnac
and Cognac
. The remaining 41% were produced as "quality wine"-wine that produced under one of the quality wine designation in a country's appellation
systems such as Germany
's QmP & QbA classifications
, France
's Appellation d'origine contrôlée
(AOC), Spain
's Denominación de Origen
(DO) and Italy
's Denominazione di origine controllata
(DOC) systems. In 1997, the European Union had over 3.4 million hectare
(8.4 million acre
s) planted under vine which accounted for nearly 44% of the world's wine, table
and raisin
grape production.
In 2008, the division into zones was slightly changed. Previously, the current zone C I was divided into two zones, C I a and C I b.
European Union wine regulations
European Union wine regulations are common legislation related to wine existing within the European Union , the member states of which account for almost two-thirds of the world's wine production...
to regulate
Wine law
Wine laws are legislation regulating various aspects of production and sales of wine. The purpose of wine laws includes combating wine fraud, by means of regulated protected designations of origin, labelling practices and classification of wine, as well as regulating allowed additives and...
certain aspects of winemaking
Winemaking
Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...
. The zones differ in terms of climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
and examples of what is regulated by wine growing zone are required grape maturity at harvest and allowed levels of chaptalisation. There are 21 wine producing countries in the European Union, with 14 of them having significant levels of production. During the 2004-2005 vintage
Vintage
Vintage, in wine-making, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product . A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and...
, total European Union wine production was around 184 million hectoliters (4.8 billion gallon
Gallon
The gallon is a measure of volume. Historically it has had many different definitions, but there are three definitions in current use: the imperial gallon which is used in the United Kingdom and semi-officially within Canada, the United States liquid gallon and the lesser used United States dry...
s) which accounted for nearly 70% of total worldwide production. Of that total nearly 55% was classified as table wine
Table wine
Table wine is a wine term with two different meanings: a wine style; and a quality level within wine classification.In the United States, table wine primarily designates a wine style - ordinary wine which is neither fortified nor sparkling....
with 4% used in the production of grape based Distilled spirits such as Armagnac
Armagnac (drink)
Armagnac is a distinctive kind of brandy or eau de vie produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of Armagnac grapes, including Baco 22A, Colombard, and Ugni Blanc, using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the...
and Cognac
Cognac
Cognac is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Cognac is situated on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes. The majority of the town has been built on the river's left bank, with the smaller right...
. The remaining 41% were produced as "quality wine"-wine that produced under one of the quality wine designation in a country's appellation
Appellation
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown; other types of food often have appellations as well...
systems such as Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's QmP & QbA classifications
German wine classification
German wine classification consists of several quality categories and is often the source of some confusion, especially among non-German speaking wine consumers. The official classification is set down in the wine law of 1971, although some changes and amendments have been made since then...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's Appellation d'origine contrôlée
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
(AOC), Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
's Denominación de Origen
Denominación de Origen
Denominación de Origen is part of a regulatory classification system primarily for Spanish wines but also for other foodstuffs like honey, meats and condiments. In wines it parallels the hierarchical system of France and Italy although Rioja and Sherry preceded the full system...
(DO) and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
's Denominazione di origine controllata
Denominazione di Origine Controllata
Denominazione di origine controllata is a quality assurance label for food products, especially wines and various formaggi . It is modelled after the French AOC...
(DOC) systems. In 1997, the European Union had over 3.4 million hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
(8.4 million acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s) planted under vine which accounted for nearly 44% of the world's wine, table
Table grape
Table grapes are grapes intended for consumption while they are fresh, as opposed to grapes grown for wine production, juice production, or for drying into raisins....
and raisin
Raisin
Raisins are dried grapes. They are produced in many regions of the world. Raisins may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking and brewing...
grape production.
Wine zones
The wine growing zones and the wine regions that belong to them are as follows:- Zone A (the coldest), comprising GermanyGerman wineGerman wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of the German wine production is situated in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where 6 of the 13 regions ...
except BadenBaden (wine region)Baden is a region for quality wine in Germany, and is located in the historical region of Baden in southwestern Germany, which today forms part of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg...
, LuxembourgLuxembourg wineLuxembourg wine is primarily produced in the southeastern part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, with vineyards overlooking the Moselle River. Along this river, which for 42 km makes up part of the border between Luxembourg and Germany, wine is made in three countries. There is a continuous history...
, BelgiumBelgian wineBelgian wine is produced in several parts of Belgium and production, although still modest at 1,400 hectoliter in 2004, has expanded in recent decades.-History:...
, United KingdomWine from the United KingdomWine from the United Kingdom is generally classified as either English wine or Welsh wine, with reference to England or Wales as its respective origin. The term British wine is generally used for fermented imported grape juice or concentrate that can originate from anywhere in the world, and so is...
, the ČechyČechy- Place names :Czechia:* Čechy, the Czech name for Bohemia** Střední Čechy, the Central Bohemian Region* Čechy , a village and municipality in Přerov District, Olomouc Region, Czech Republic...
region of the Czech RepublicCzech wineWine in the Czech Republic is produced mainly in southern Moravia, although a few vineyards are located in Bohemia. However, Moravia accounts for around 96% of the country's vineyards, which is why Czech wine is more often referred to as Moravian wine ...
and those countries in northern Europe where commercial winemaking is a very marginal business. - Zone B, comprising Baden in Germany, AustriaAustrian wineAustrian wines are mostly dry white wines with some luscious dessert wines made around the Neusiedler See. About 30% of the wines are red, made from Blaufränkisch , Pinot Noir and locally bred varieties such as Zweigelt...
, the FrenchFrench wineFrench wine is produced in several regions throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France has the world's second-largest total vineyard area, behind Spain, and is in the position of being the world's largest wine producer...
regions of AlsaceAlsace wineAlsace wine or Alsatian wine is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily white. These wines, which for historical reasons have a strong Germanic influence, are produced under three different Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées : Alsace AOC for white, rosé and red wines, Alsace Grand...
, Champagne, JuraJura wineJura wine, is French wine produced in the Jura département. Located between Burgundy and Switzerland, this cool climate wine region produces wines with some similarity to Burgundy and Swiss wine. Jura wines are distinctive and unusual wines, the most famous being vin jaune, which is made by a...
, Loire, LorraineMoselle wineMoselle wine is produced in three countries along the Moselle river: France, Luxembourg and Germany. Moselle wines are mainly white and are made in some of the coldest climates used for commercial winemaking.-France:...
and Savoie and parts of the Czech Republic, SlovakiaSlovak wineSlovak wine is produced in the southern part of Slovakia, which is divided into 6 wine-producing areas.Although Slovak wines except Tokaj are not well known internationally, they are popular domestically and in neighbouring countries.-Regions:...
, Slovenia and RomaniaRomanian wineRomania is one of the world's largest wine producers, producing around 610,000 tons of wine. In recent years, Romania has attracted many European business people and wine buyers, due to the affordable prices of both vineyards and wines compared to other wine producing nations such as France,...
. - Zone C (the warmest), which is subdivided into:
- Zone C I, comprising the French regions of BordeauxBordeaux wineA Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
, BurgundyBurgundy wineBurgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...
, ProvenceProvence wineProvence wine comes from the French wine-producing region of Provence in southeast France. The Romans called the area nostra provincia , giving the region its name...
, Rhône and Sud-OuestSud-Ouest-Places:* Sud-Ouest Region , the Burkina Faso region* Sud-Ouest Region , the Cameroon region* Ile du Sud-Ouest, an isle in the Cosmoledo atoll* Le Sud-Ouest, a borough in Montreal, Quebec...
, some areas in the far north of ItalyItalian wineItalian wine is wine produced in Italy, a country which is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Italy is the world's largest wine producer, responsible for approximately one-fifth of world wine production in 2005. Italian wine is exported largely around the world and has...
, some areas in northern SpainSpanish wineSpanish wines are wines produced in the southwestern European country of Spain. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over 2.9 million acres planted—making it the most widely planted wine producing nation but it is the third largest producer of wine in the world, the largest...
, most of PortugalPortuguese winePortuguese wine is the result of traditions introduced to the region by ancient civilizations, such as the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and mostly the Romans. Portugal started to export its wines to Rome during the Roman Empire. Modern exports developed with trade to England after the...
, Hungary, and parts of Slovakia and Romania. - Zone C II, comprising much of Languedoc-Roussillon in France, most of northern and central Italy, most of northern Spain and parts of Slovenia, BulgariaBulgarian wineGrape growing and wine production have a long history in Bulgaria, dating back to the times of the Thracians. Wine is, together with beer and grape rakia, among the most popular alcoholic beverages in the country.-Viticultural regions:...
and Romania. - Zone C III a, comprising parts of GreeceGreek wineGreece is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. The earliest evidence of Greek wine has been dated to 6,500 years ago where wine was produced on a household or communal basis. In ancient times, as trade in wine became extensive, it was transported from end to end of the...
, CyprusCyprus wineThe Cypriot wine industry ranks 37th in the world in terms of total production quantity ., and much higher on a per capita basis. Although, chronologically, Cyprus belongs to the old world of wine producing countries, the industry has gone through changes that place it more on par with the new world...
and Bulgaria. - Zone C III b, comprising small parts close to the Mediterranean coast of France and CorsicaCorsica wineCorsica wine is wine made on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. Located 90km west of Italy, 170km southeast of France and 11km north of the island of Sardinia, the island is a territorial collectivity of France, but many of the region's winemaking traditions and its grape varieties are Italian in...
, southern Italy and Spain, some parts of Portugal, most of Greece, parts of Cyprus and all of MaltaMaltese wineWine production in Malta dates back over two thousand years to the Roman era, but in the past Maltese wines had a bad reputation, and the majority of the grapes were consumed as food. In the beginning of the 20th century Emmanuel Delicata and Marsovin wineries were established. In the 1970s wine...
.
- Zone C I, comprising the French regions of Bordeaux
In 2008, the division into zones was slightly changed. Previously, the current zone C I was divided into two zones, C I a and C I b.