Vin de Pays d’Oc, Pays d’Oc or IGP d’Oc all mean that the wine comes from a very large wine-producing region in the south of France. The Languedoc gets its name from the old southern Occitan language spoken in the region where ‘oc’ meant yes, as opposed to the langue d’oïl as spoken in the north of France. It literally means the language of Oc. It includes a large swathe of land running from the Spanish border to the mouth of the river Rhône.
Wine labels on European wines are very strictly regulated. The lowest level in France (although this can include some very good wines) is Vin de France, or wine of France. The grapes or wine used can come from anywhere in the country and may be a blend from more than one region.
The next level up is IGP. IGP stands for Indication Géographique Protégée – in English, Protected Geographic Indication. It was brought into law to allow producers to experiment with new grape varieties and new styles of wine. It generally covers wines from a large geographic region, where a wide variety of grapes are permitted.
Technically superior to PGI is AOC or Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée. These wines usually come from a small defined region where only a limited number of traditional grape varieties are permitted. I use the word “technically” as there are some fantastic wines under the PGI label, often made by some of the most exciting producers. There are also plenty of well-made inexpensive wines.
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The Oc region is Europe’s largest producer of PGI, making eight million bottles per year. This is 60 per cent of all French IGP, so you are spoilt for choice.
