Wine for Normal People

This week I take a fresh look at European Classification Systems, going into detail on the history of how and why they evolved, what the current EU scheme is based on, and what the major wine nations’ systems are structured (and how they differ from what the EU would like them to look like!).    I discuss: How Europe classified its wines to protect the names of specific products and link them to their place of origin, to the benefit of consumers and producers. A history of wine classifications from the monks in medieval Burgundy to the winemakers of Tokaj in the 1600s to Chianti, Port, and Bordeaux in the 1700s and 1800s. A detailed look at the evolution of the French classification system. I go through the steps that the French took to prevent fraud, protect the origin of their wines, and ultimately create the system off which the EU system is based. I address the EU system with its two main categories: -Wine without a geographic origin (table wine) -Wine with a geographic origin: Protected Geographica