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French legislation on the terminology Vin de pays passed in 1979, allowing producers to distinguish higher quality wines that were not made with AOC classified grapes. The wines have to come from a specific named place, the producers have to submit the wine for analysis and tasting, and the wines have to be made from certain varieties or blends although these are typically more lenient in varietal scope than AOC restrictions.

There are three tiers of Vin de Pays; regional, departmental and local.

There are four regional Vin de Pays, which cover large areas of France. The most voluminous contributor to this category of wines is Vin de Pays d'Oc, from the Languedoc-Roussillon area in Mediterranean France. The second largest volume of Vin de Pays wines is produced as Vin de Pays de la Jardin de France, a designation that applies to wines from the whole Loire Valley.

Each regional Vin de Pays is divided into several departmental Vins de Pays. There are about 50 of these, the names being derivative of the French departments in question. For example, Vin de Pays du Gard is one of the Vins de Pays produced within Vins de Pays d'Oc using grapes from the Gard department. A smaller subdivision still is the local Vin de Pays, which have very precise geographical specifications. There are about 100 of these local Vins de Pays, making them hard to recognize outside the region where they are produced.

In terms of volume, Vins de Pays d'Oc and Vins de Pays de la Jardin de France are responsible for the majority of French exports.

Originally, Vin de Pays designation was commonly viewed as inferior to an AOC Appellation, often being ascribed to thin and simple wines. However, since the late 1980s, an increase in demand for varietal wines has led some French producers and cooperatives to produce more Vin de Pays, especially Vin de Pays d'Oc, to make varietal wines with some form of designation, while turning away from the highly restrictive AOC classification which often requires very specific blends of grape varieties.

This can be seen as a response to the increasing sales success of varietal New World wines from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, South Africa and Chile. As well as varietal wines (such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot), Vin de Pays is being used to produce non-traditional blends which do not meet the requirements of AOC or VDQS regulations. Some of these wines are much better, and command higher prices, than AOC or VDQS wines from the same region or, even, the same winemakers.

• Indicazione Geografica Tipica, the rough equivalent in Italy

• The official Vins de Pays home page