Abbreviation for "Districtus Austriae Controllatus", the Austrian designation for a area type and origin quality wine, corresponding to the French Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP). A reorganization of the quality system in Austria was established in the 1990s by representatives of the wine association, the wine trade, the ÖWM (Wine Marketing Service Company), and the Ministry of Agriculture. The aim of these efforts was and is to emphasize the distinctiveness of Austrian wine and to strengthen its identity in order to assert itself against the increasing competition from Europe and overseas. Similar to France, Italy, and Spain, the origin is given greater consideration or is brought to the forefront. This also illustrates the difference between "Germanic" and "Roman wine law".
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The glossary is a monumental achievement and one of the most important contributions to wine knowledge. Of all the encyclopaedias I use on the subject of wine, it is by far the most important. That was the case ten years ago and it hasn't changed since.
Andreas Essl
Autor, Modena