appellation

noun ap·pel·la·tion \ ˌa-pə-ˈlā-shən \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Definition of appellation

1 : an identifying name or title : designation

was entitled to the appellation "doctor"

2 : a geographical name (as of a region, village, or vineyard) under which a winegrower is authorized to identify and market wine; also : the area designated by such a name

3 archaic : the act of calling by a name

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Recent Examples of appellation from the Web

The wine is Bergerac, an appellation in the Périgord region of southwest France, just east of Bordeaux.

— mike dunne, sacbee, "A French wine mystery: Where's the Bergerac?," 6 June 2018
Made of 100 percent zinfandel from several California appellations, this wine offered baking spices, plum, rich blackberry, vanilla and cherry.

— michael austin, chicagotribune.com, "15 zinfandels to drink with whatever meat you're grilling," 23 May 2018
Your first stop should be this tasting room, which features top boutique wineries in the appellation as well as selections from owners Jeni and Antonio Moretti’s operation—just 400 cases annually.

— matt jaffe, Los Angeles Magazine, "A Visit to California’s Most Unlikely Wine Town," 1 May 2018
Bottle to try: 2014 Obsidian Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($30) is a dark and brooding red, with plenty of tannin and a striking minerality, epitomizing the firm character of wines from the Red Hills appellation.

— Bloomberg.com, "Volcanic Wines Are Heating Up Around the Globe," 30 Mar. 2018
Mauritson Family Winery offers small production and single vineyard estate wines from three distinct appellations: Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, and Rockpile.

— gege reed, The Courier-Journal, "Looking for something to do? Try one of more than 50 events in Louisville," 22 Nov. 2017
Incredibly, that appellation is no longer an insult.

— brian chasnoff, San Antonio Express-News, "Tricentennial redeemed," 30 Apr. 2018
Wine aficionados speak of 10 different sub-appellations, but one blurs into the next.

— patricia harris and david lyon, BostonGlobe.com, "Beyond the falls: the delicious tastes of Niagara," 25 Apr. 2018
Yet here is Pomerol, the smallest of Bordeaux’s most prestigious appellations, which some may insensitively describe as Burgundian.

— eric asimov, New York Times, "In Pomerol, Wines of Grandeur From Modest Estates," 26 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'appellation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Ask a Frenchman named "Jacques" his name, and you may very well get the reply, "Je m'appelle Jacques." The French verb appeller means "to call (by a name)," so Jacques' answer literally translates to "I call myself Jacques." Knowing the function of "appeller" makes it easy to remember that "appellation" refers to the name or title by which something is called or known. "Appeller" and "appellation" also share a common ancestor - the Latin appellare, meaning "to call or summon," formed by combining the prefix ad- ("to") with another verb, "pellere" ("to drive"). "Appellare" is also the root of our word appeal (by way of Anglo-French and Middle English), as well as "appellate," referring to a kind of court where appeals are heard.