Vin de pays

Vin de pays is the third highest ranking in the French wine system, after VDQS, preceding Vin de table. The term may be modified by adding a regional specification, ie: "vin de pays d'oc". Traditionally, "vin de pays" has been considered a category of lower quality wines; wines which do not adhere to the more restrictive requirements of AOC or VDQS wines. However, more recently, as French winemakers have started to react to the increasing sales success of the so-called new world wines from such countries as Australia, US, South Africa and Chile (and the concomitant loss of sales by the French wine industry)more adventurous French vignorons have begun to produce varietal wines (such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot) under the "vin de pays" category as well as wines using non-traditional blends which do not meet the requirements of AOC or VDQS regulations. Some of these wines are much better, and command higher prices, than AOC or VDQS wines from the same region or, even, the same winemakers.