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The following four classifications of wine constitute the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
system of labelling and legally protecting
Italian wine Italian wine is produced in every region of Italy. Italy is the world's largest producer of wine, with an area of under vineyard cultivation, and contributing a 2013–2017 annual average of 48.3 million hl of wine. In 2018 Italy accounted fo ...
: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ;
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tipica'' (IGT; ; “indication of geographical typicality”), * ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC; ; “controlled designation of origin”), and * ''Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita'' (DOCG; ; “controlled and guaranteed designation of origin”). The system was introduced in 1963 shortly after the
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established Italy as a founding member of the
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, and was modelled on the extant
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
''
Appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...
'' (AOC) laws. It was overhauled in 1992 to match new
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law on
Protected Designation of Origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union and the United Kingdom aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main ...
, introducing the more general ''Denominazione di Origine Protetta'' (DOP) designation for foods and agricultural products, including wines. Further EU reforms to harmonise agricultural policy in 2008 meant that designations used in member states, and thus Italian designations, were registered with the EU by the end of 2011, with subsequent new denominations or elevations approved by the EU.


Indicazione geografica tipica (IGT)

''Indicazione geografica tipica'' was created in 1992 to recognize the unusually high quality of the class of wines known as
Super Tuscans Tuscan wine (Italian ''Toscana'') is Italian wine from the Tuscany region. Located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast, Tuscany is home to some of the world's most notable wine regions. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di ...
, and to be broadly equivalent to the French '' vin de pays'' designation. IGT wines are labelled with the locality of their creation, but do not meet the requirements of the stricter DOC or DOCG designations, which are generally intended to protect traditional wine formulations such as
Chianti A Chianti wine (, also , ) is any wine produced in the Chianti region of central Tuscany. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a ''fiasco'' ("flask"; ''pl. fiaschi''). However, the ''fiasco'' is ...
or Barolo. Since 2008 both IGT and vin de pays are equivalent to the EU
Protected Geographical Indication Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...
(PGI) designation, and many producers have switched to using the Italian translation, ''Indicazione geografica protetta'' (IGP). This classification is seen to be a higher quality wine than ''
vino da tavola Table wine (rarely abbreviated TW) is a wine term with two different meanings: a style of wine and a quality level within wine classification. In the United States, the term primarily designates a wine style: an ordinary wine which is not fortifi ...
''.


Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC)

The ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' classification was created to be roughly equivalent to the French ''
Appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...
'' (AOC). It requires that a wine satisfy a defined quality standard, and be produced within the specified region. Unlike IGT, the DOC definitions will usually specify additional more stringent rules regarding permitted grape varieties, harvest yields, minimum ageing including use of barrels, minimum alcohol content, and other factors. Wines labelled DOC or DOCG must be sold in bottles holding no more than . Historically the DOC status has been used to classify other food products such as cheeses, olive oil and vinegar, but the ''Denominazione di origine protetta'' (DOP) is now used instead. Since the 2008 EU reforms, both the DOC and DOCG wine classifications are protected in the EU as Protected Designations of Origin (PDO), which in Italy generally is indicated in Italian: "Denominazione d'Origine Protetta" (DOP). They may however still be referred to as DOC/DOCG or (in Bolzano, where
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
is an official language) in German: ''Kontrollierte Ursprungsbezeichnung'.


Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG)

''Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita'' is intended to be a superior classification to DOC, and is the highest classification in Italy. All DOCG wines from each producer are analysed and tasted by government–licensed judgement panel before being bottled. Once approved, the wines are “guaranteed” with a numbered governmental seal across the cap or cork, to prevent later manipulation. Where the DOCG classification represents a refinement of an existing DOC wine, the rules for the DOCG wine usually require more stringent quality controls. These controls are usually some combination of a lower proportion of blending grapes, lower yields, higher minimum alcohol, longer ageing requirements, and so on. The need for a DOCG identification arose when the DOC designation was, in the view of many Italian food industries, given too liberally to different products. A new, more restrictive identification was then created as similar as possible to the previous one so that buyers could still recognize it, but qualitatively different. The three original DOCGs were
Brunello di Montalcino Brunello di Montalcino is a red DOCG Italian wine produced in the vineyards surrounding the town of Montalcino, in the province of Siena, located about 80 km south of Florence in the Tuscany wine region. Brunello, a diminutive of Bruno ( ...
,
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red wine with a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita status produced in the vineyards surrounding the town of Montepulciano, Italy. The wine is made primarily from the Sangiovese grape varietal (know ...
, and Barolo, all approved by a presidential decree in July 1980, followed by
Barbaresco Barbaresco is an Italian wine made with the Nebbiolo grape. Barbaresco is produced in the Piedmont region in an area of the Langhe immediately to the east of Alba and specifically in the '' comune''s of Barbaresco, Treiso and Neive plus that ar ...
three months later. For wines produced in Bolzano, where German is an official language, DOCG may be written as ''Kontrollierte und garantierte Ursprungsbezeichnung''. In 2010–2011 many new DOCG classifications were created or elevated from DOC, in the rush to register them before the EU reform deadline. This has had the effect of potentially diluting the importance of the DOCG classification.


Other label rules

Italian legislation additionally regulates the use of qualifying terms for wines. ''Classico'' (“classic”) is reserved for wines produced in the region where a particular type of wine has been produced "traditionally". For
Chianti Classico A Chianti wine (, also , ) is any wine produced in the Chianti region of central Tuscany. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a ''fiasco'' ("flask"; ''pl. fiaschi''). However, the ''fiasco'' is ...
, this traditional region is defined by a 1932 decree. ''
Riserva Reserve wine is wine of a higher quality than usual, a wine that has been aged before sale, or both. Traditionally, winemakers would reserve some of their best wine rather than sell it immediately, coining the term. In some countries the use of t ...
'' (“reserve”) may be used only for wines that have been aged at least two years longer than normal for a particular type of wine.


See also

*
Geographical indications and traditional specialities in the European Union Three European Union schemes of geographical indications and traditional specialties, known as protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG), promote and protect nam ...
*
List of Italian DOCG wines A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of Italian DOC wines This is a list of the 329 Italian DOC (''Denominazione di Origine Controllata'') wines ordered by region. The wine making regions of Italy are equivalent to its twenty administrative regions. Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (or just ''Trentino-Alto ...
*
List of Italian IGT wines A list of the Italian IGT (''Indicazione Geografica Tipica'') wines, in alphabetical order by region. Note that IGT wines are not produced in Piedmont or the Val’Aosta. Wines of the Abruzzo * Alto Tirino (''Bianco'' in the styles ''normale' ...
*
List of Italian products with protected designation of origin This is a list of Italian EU protected geographical indications as defined in the Council of the European Union Regulation CE 510/2006, which fall into three schemes. * 138 Italian products have Protected designation of origin (PDO) or D.O.P. () ...
*
Traditional food Traditional foods are foods and dishes that are passed on through generations or which have been consumed for many generations. Traditional foods and dishes are traditional in nature, and may have a historic precedent in a national dish, regio ...


References


External links


An excerpt from the relevant Italian law

''V.Q.P.R.D. Vini (DOCG – DOC): Elenco e Riferimenti Normativi al 07.02.2006''
published by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, which lists every DOC and DOCG wine as of February 2006, together with the dates of the decrees by which the appellation was instituted, and the provinces in which the wine is permitted to be produced.
Complete list of Italian DOC wines
{{Portal bar, Italy, Wine Alcohol law in Italy Wine classification Food law