Appellation d'origine contrôlée the "Côtes du Rhône" appellation of origin in 1936. After World War II the committee became the public-private "Institut National des Appellations d'Origine" (INAO). The AOC seal was created and mandated by French laws in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. On July 2, 1990, the scope of work of the INAO was extended beyond wines to cover other agricultural products . AOCs vary dramatically in size. Some cover vast expanses with a variety of climatic and soil characteristics, while others are small and highly uniform. For example, the Côtes du Rhône AOC "covers some , but within its area lies
Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union colonised by the fungus "Penicillium roqueforti" that grows in these caves. This system is similar to appellation systems used throughout the world, such as the "appellation d'origine contrôlée" (AOC) used in France, the "denominazione di origine controllata" (DOC) used in Italy, the "denominação de origem controlada" (DOC) used in Portugal, the "denominación de origen" (DO) system used in Spain and the "Denumire de origine controlată" (DOC) system used in Romania. In many cases, the EU PDO/PGI system works parallel with the system used in the specified country, and in some cases is subordinated to the appellation system that was already