In the wine world, this term refers to a designated growing area governed by the rules and regulations established by a country's federal government or local governing body. Such rules vary from country to country but are somewhat similar in their attempt to stimulate the production of quality wines. These regulations are established by the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (aoc) in France, the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (doc) in Italy, the Denominaçao de Origem Controlada (doc) in Portugal, the Denominación de Origen (do) in Spain and the American Viticultural Area (ava) in the United States.