Appellation logic: admissibility, not merit

The standard

Rule-bound admissibility separates two questions that everyday language merges: whether a wine may carry a name, and whether it convinces. It answers only the first.

Criteria

• The area is mapped, not negotiated
• Grape varieties and their proportions are named and limited
• The maximum yield is set per unit of area
• Admission arises from inspection, not from registration

Distinction

Appellation logic ≠ quality verdict: a designation of origin attests conformity with rules. Appellation logic ≠ terroir: the one is a legal boundary, the other a web of causes. Where rule-bound admissibility is read as a statement of rank, an administrative decision replaces tasting.