WOOD CHIPS BANNED IN FRENCH AOC

Despite the support of the French government, the use of wood chips in French AOC winemaking has been banned. The Institut National des Appellations d’Origine (INAO), who regulates France’s AOC wines, announced the ruling late last week which was made in spite of the fact that wood chips are legal in the EU.

The INAO feels that wood chips could harm the spirit of “appellations” and the wine’s link with “terroir.”