Spanish wine the southern Mediterranean coast are suitable for producing grapes of high alcohol levels and low acidity. Spanish wine laws created the "Denominación de Origen" (DO) system in 1932 and were later revised in 1970. The system shares many similarities with the hierarchical "Appellation d'origine contrôlée" (AOC) system of France, Portugal's "Denominação de Origem Controlada" (DOC) and Italy's "Denominazione di origine controllata" (DOC) system. As of 2009, there were 79 Quality Wine areas across Spain. In addition there is "Denominación de Origen Calificada" (DOCa or DOQ in Catalan) status for DOs that have a consistent track record for quality. There are
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