1) Designated wine growing areas governed by the rules and regulations of a country's federal local government body. Rules vary from country to country but are similar in their attempt to stimulate the production of quality wines. Regulations are established by the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in France, the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) in Italy, the Denominaao de Origem Controlada (DOC) in Portugal, the Denominacin de Origen (DO) in Spain and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) in the United States. 2) Synonym for name.