What do IGP and Vin de France mean on a French wine?

IGP means that at least 85 percent of the grapes come from the area on the label and that the wine was made there.

The abbreviation stands for indication géographique protégée, in English protected geographical indication. It is the second level of protection in European wine legislation, alongside the stricter AOP, where all grapes must come from the area.

An IGP area is usually defined more broadly than an appellation. France has 74 of them for wine, from Val de Loire to Pays d’Oc. On the bottle you see the name of the area, often with the words indication géographique protégée written out in full.

Vin de France is the name for French wine without a geographical indication, made from grapes that may come from all over France.

In French the category is called vin sans indication géographique. A producer may put a grape variety and a vintage on it, but only after prior approval and certification of the volumes by FranceAgriMer.

Referring to a place is not allowed. Words such as Château, Domaine and Clos and names of regions or municipalities are reserved for wines with AOP or IGP. The bottler's address is shown, however.

IGP says something about origin and about the rules the producer follows, not about how the wine tastes.

The European rules link a PGI to an area with its own quality, reputation or characteristics. They do not prescribe a flavour profile. Within a single PGI, light and heavy wines stand side by side, from houses that work very differently.

Anyone who wants to choose by taste looks at the grape variety, the vintage and the producer. The designation on the label is a framework, not a verdict.

A grape variety may appear on the label if that variety makes up at least 85 percent of the wine and the batch has been certified for it.

For Vin de France this certification runs via FranceAgriMer. The producer requests permission in advance and has the volumes recorded before the wine goes on the market. The same 85/15 rule applies to the vintage.

In many appellations the permitted varieties are already laid down in the specification. The variety then does not need to appear separately on the bottle, and many houses leave it off.

On every bottle of Vin de France are the name Vin de France, the alcohol percentage, the volume, the lot number, the bottler's details and the pregnancy warning.

Since 8 December 2023, a nutrition declaration and an ingredient list are also part of it. Sulphites are listed as an allergen above 10 milligrams per litre.

The alcohol content of the category lies between about 8.5 and 15 percent vol. That range belongs to the regulation, not to one particular bottle.