| Aosta Valley | Piedmont | Liguria | Lombardy | Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol | Friuli-Venezia Giulia | Veneto| Emilia-Romagna | Tuscany | Marche | Umbria | Lazio | Abruzzo | Molise | Campania | Basilicata | Apulia (Puglia) | Calabria | Sicily | Sardinia |
- Italy’s 20 wine regions correspond to the 20 political regions
- The 36 DOCG wines are located in 13 different regions but most of them are concentrated in Piedmont and Tuscany
Italy’s classification system:
- Four classes of wine, two falling under the EU category Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) and two falling under the category of ‘table wine’
Table Wine: (Vino da Tavola (VDT)
- Denotes simply that the wine is made in Italy
The label indicates a basic wine, made for local consumption - Not permitted to put geographical source, grape variety or vintage on the label
Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT):
- Similar to Vin de Pays in France
- Designation created in 1992 for wines that were considered to be of higher quality than simple table wines
- Permits more freedom in terms of area and grape varieties
- Permits the grapes to be sourced from a larger area (key factor when creating brands)
- Before the IGT was created, “Super Tuscan” wines were labeled Vino da Tavola
QWPSR:
Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC)
- DOC system began in 1963, seeking to establish a method of both recognizing quality product and maintaining the international and national reputation of that product
- In common with French AOC permissions: geographical area, varieties permitted, minimum alcohol
- May also stipulate the production method and minimum ageing
Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG)
- Must meet all DOC requirements
- Must be bottled in the region of production
- Subject to Ministry of Agriculture tasting
- Each bottle carries a numbered seal of approval