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Terroir & appellation
The AOC designation links a product with its geographical origin and makes it subject to rules of production and manufacturing. It expresses the close link between a product and its terroir, coupled with the decisive and enduring impact of human savoir-faire.
AOC regulations go far beyond the question of geographical delimitation itself. They encompass all aspects of the production process, based on principles upheld by the INAO and relating to terroir in the largest sense. These regulations embrace all of the features that characterize an AOC product – geography, pedology, climate, technique and human in-put.
AOC regulations also specify the production conditions that define the product in question, covering:
Main rules of the Champagne AOC:
New quality-improvement measures include the following:
“An AOC area is born of an alliance between the natural environment and human ingenuity. From that alliance comes an AOC product with unique, inimitable characteristics. A product so different that it complements rather than competes with other products, possessing a particular identity that adds further value.”
Interprofession
The Comité Champagne