France

France is one of the worlds biggest producers of wine and despite a decline in domestic consumption the country still leads the way in terms of quality and presitge. Wine laws can be very strict and producers are limited from region to region with restrictions on permitted grape varieties, yields and irragation being common throughout the country. France's labelling terms have been changed recently (from 2012 vintage onwards) and now are a little easier to understand. 'Vin de France' has replaced 'Vin de Table' and refers to any wine from any region, although now it is permitted to include the vintage and grape variety. 'Indication Géographique Protégée' (IGP) has replaced the 'Vin de Pays' designation and becomes the middle tier in terms of quality and guarantee of origin. Finally Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP) replaces the former AOC labelling and remains essentially the same.