Global - Technology - Review

'Appellations' are a French legal instrument for the attributions of certain products to certain regions, and as such constitute an important mechanism in the protection of intellectual property.  The possession of an 'appellation' by a product serves as a guarantee that it possess certain qualities, notably that of having come from the region to which it is attributed.

The concept is most often associated with French wines, and the practice of attributing wines to regions is very old, and is referenced in the Bible.  The first protected wine-making region is usually claimed to be that of Chianti, Italy in 1716.