AOC stands for "Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée" (AOC). The appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines under the auspices of the government bureau "Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité" (INAO). It is based on the concept of "terroir" with strict quality requirements among others grape varieties permitted, yield a hectare, winemaking methods and many more. There are currently over 300 French wines entitled to the designation AOC on their label.