In terms of the types of grapes used to make wine and the system for defining and regulating winemaking, France is the gold standard for all of the world’s wines. Most other European countries use its Appellation d’Origine Controlee, or AOC, system as a model. The majority of French wines are named after locations.

The system is hierarchical; the higher a wine’s rank, the narrower and more specific the place for which it is named. Each of the four possible levels of French wine is always listed on the label.