In addition to the quality wines, France also has two classes of Table wine,: Vins de Pays, and Vins de Table.

Vins de Pays represents about 20 percent France's wine production. It comes primarily from the areas bordering Belgium, Spain, and Italy. There are 4 important areas:

• Vin de Pays d'Oc. This is the most important area, covering the Languedoc and Roussillon.
• Vin de Pays des Comtés Rhodaniens. This includes the Rhône valley and the Alps areas.
• Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France. The vineyards of the Loire valley and its surroundings.
• Vin de Pays du Comté Tolosan, which includes Bordeaux and southwest France.

In addition, there are 54 departmental Vins de Pays, and many regional Vins de Pays. To qualify for Vins de Pays, there are four requirements:

1. Area of production. The grapes must be grown in one of the areas mentioned above.
2. Grape varities. Each area has a recommended list of varieties to be grown, and this list is much larger than for quality wines, so a great deal of experimentation is allowed.
3. Yields. Yields are controlled, but do not have to be as low as in quality wines.
4. Alcohol level. The usual minimum alcohol level is around 9%-10%.

Vins de Table makes up 30% of French wine production. Vins de Table can be from grapes grown in any area of France, and will not have a region, vintage, or grape variety on the lable. It will only say Vins de Table. Yields are the highest out of all the categories. Chaptalization is not allowed, and the price is usually determined by the strength of the alcohol.

French laws divide wines into two different categories of quality wine: Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée and Vins Délimités de Qualité Supérieure.

Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée:
This designation is abbreviated AC or AOC, and it refers to a specific area within a wine region. Every major wine region in France handles its AC laws a bit differently, which can make the system a bit confusing. But each AC addresses the following points:

1. The areas of production that are included in each AC. These boundaries are based somehow on soil types, but the AC may include several different soil type areas.
2. Allowed grape varieties. Each AC has a history of growing certain grapes, and the permitted grapes are now governed by law.
3. Viticulture. Types of planting and training and pruning methods are all controlled.
4. Yield. Each AC has a controlled amount of yield that a given acreage is allowed to produce.
5. Vinification. Fermentation, bottling, and aging are all controlled.
6. Alcohol levels. A minimum alcohol level is specified, which must be reached without chaptalization.

Each region has its ow hierarchy of appellations, which are based on geography. As the geographic description of the AC gets more specific, the quality increases, and the production is even more heavily regulated. Each individual vineyard may have several different AC wines that it produces. This will become clearer as I cover each individual reason in the near future.

Vins Délimités de Qualité Supérieur:

This designtation was started in 1949, as a stepping stone to the AC designation. This category only represents about 1 percent of total wine production in France, so it doesn't currently play a large role in the French system.

French wine production is tightly controlled by law, and their system provides a model that most of Europe follows to some extent. Every bottle of french wine carries a governmental seal on it, indicating that the appropriate tax has been paid, and that the wine laws have been adhered to at every phase of its production.