Institut National des Appellations d'Origine
Encyclopedia
The Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) is the French
organization charged with regulating French agricultural products with Protected Designations of Origin
(PDOs). Controlled by the French government, it forms part of the Ministry of Agriculture. The organization was co-founded by Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer Baron Pierre Le Roy.
Every Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
(AOC), the French term for PDOs, is produced according to rules codified by the INAO. Because its primary purpose is to regulate the use of noteworthy names, one of its primary tasks is to delimit the geographic area entitled to produce a product. For wine
this means vineyards, but the INAO also regulates the places of processing and aging.
The INAO, like many organizations charged with regulating and helping producers, is often put in a contradictory position. An individual farmer may want his farm to be included in the limited area, but that might have the effect of diluting the average quality of the area. Rarely is this without controversy, and it is a delicate balancing act.
, a problem that continues to this day.
A second law, passed on May 6, 1919, gave the courts power to act in cases where the regulations were not being followed. This once again was an initial failure, as the resulting prosecutions proved to be long and fraught with difficulty.
In a further attempt to address problems in the wine industry, the INAO was created by a decree of July 30, 1935 to cover all administrative, judiciary and professional aspects of appellation control. Initially, INAO was a Comité rather than an Institut. The first AOC laws were passed in 1936, and most of the classical wines from Bordeaux
, Burgundy
, Champagne and Rhône had their initial set of AOC regulations before the end of 1937.
In 1990, the economic success of the appellations led parliament in a law of July 2 to extend the powers of the INAO to cover all agricultural produce.
Since January 1, 2007, the Institute is renamed Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité and also guarantees organic and Label Rouge certifications. In spite of the name change it retains the abbreviation INAO.
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...
organization charged with regulating French agricultural products with Protected Designations of Origin
Protected designation of origin
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
(PDOs). Controlled by the French government, it forms part of the Ministry of Agriculture. The organization was co-founded by Châteauneuf-du-Pape producer Baron Pierre Le Roy.
Every 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), the French term for PDOs, is produced according to rules codified by the INAO. Because its primary purpose is to regulate the use of noteworthy names, one of its primary tasks is to delimit the geographic area entitled to produce a product. For wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
this means vineyards, but the INAO also regulates the places of processing and aging.
The INAO, like many organizations charged with regulating and helping producers, is often put in a contradictory position. An individual farmer may want his farm to be included in the limited area, but that might have the effect of diluting the average quality of the area. Rarely is this without controversy, and it is a delicate balancing act.
History
Government control of agricultural products began with the law of August 1, 1905, granting the government authority to define the official boundaries for the production of certain agricultural products. At first, the appellations were not designed as measures of quality of the produce and failed to resolve the problem of over-production of wineWine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
, a problem that continues to this day.
A second law, passed on May 6, 1919, gave the courts power to act in cases where the regulations were not being followed. This once again was an initial failure, as the resulting prosecutions proved to be long and fraught with difficulty.
In a further attempt to address problems in the wine industry, the INAO was created by a decree of July 30, 1935 to cover all administrative, judiciary and professional aspects of appellation control. Initially, INAO was a Comité rather than an Institut. The first AOC laws were passed in 1936, and most of the classical wines from Bordeaux
Bordeaux wine
A 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...
, Burgundy
Burgundy wine
Burgundy 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...
, Champagne and Rhône had their initial set of AOC regulations before the end of 1937.
In 1990, the economic success of the appellations led parliament in a law of July 2 to extend the powers of the INAO to cover all agricultural produce.
Since January 1, 2007, the Institute is renamed Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité and also guarantees organic and Label Rouge certifications. In spite of the name change it retains the abbreviation INAO.