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Buying Italian Wine by the Label
by Luca Discenza
For many casual wine drinkers and new enthusiasts, reading and understanding a wine label can be confusing and often intimidating. This especially applies to wines coming from Old World wine producing countries such as Italy. Italy has unique wine laws and labelling terminology, often required by the region’s winemaking regulators, and can confuse the perspective buyer. In this article, we breakdown the most common Italian wine label vocabulary to help you understand what is inside the bottles of Italian wine you are purchasing in stores, restaurants and online.
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How to Shop Italian Wine?
Italian wine labelling today takes much of its inspiration from France. However, unlike France, Italy utilizes four labelling designations, two are PDOs. As well, there are no distinct regionally specific labelling terms, or distinctions, beyond those specified by the PDO or PGI requirements. The four designations of Italian wine labels are the following:- Denominazione Origine Controllata (DOC) – This is a PDO category of regulation for Italian wines. Similar to France’s AOC wines, DOC wines are restricted to specific geographic production areas and may only use grapes grown within certain yield limits for that production area. Just like the French AOC wines as well, these DOC wines not have the wine variety on the label as they are specifically tied to the geographical region. These DOC regions are often located within the larger recognized Italian wine regions.
- On top of the DOC wines there are Denominazione Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) wines. They are also a PDO category of wine but have stricter requirements for grape growing. Wines within the DOCG category must individually pass a quality assessment and tasting conducted by an Italian Agricultural Ministry to receive and maintain DOCG status.DOC and DOCG wine labels will often simply be labelled as the regional classification followed by “Denominazione Origine Controllata /Garantita” along with the producer’s logo and information. Some DOC/DOCG regions and wines may also allow for, or require, different labelling terms specific to the way that wine was vinted and aged. There is a government crafted ribbon across the neck of DOC and DOCG wines to ensure the quality and indicate the approval of the wine by the Italian government.
- Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) – This is a newer classification in Italy structured in a similar fashion to the French Vins du Pays. It is a PGI wine category which recognizes wines made from vineyards within an Italian wine region, usually larger than the DOC/DOCG regions. These wines, like Vins du Pays, can be of any level of quality, and can use grapes and winemaking measures that would not be acceptable as a DOC or DOCG category. These wines may come as a single varietal which are sometimes found on the label or they can be a specialty blend of the winery. These labels will always have their region of origin followed by IGT on the label to inform the consumer where these wines come from.
- Vino di Tavola – The least regulated category in Italian wines, literally “Table Wine” in English. These wines can be made from a blend of any grapes grown across Italy and are not specific to any winemaking region in Italy.
Other Italian Wine Labelling Terms- Riserva – A term on DOC and DOCG wines usually indicating higher aging than what is required within the DOC/DOCG minimums for that region.
- Classico – For many DOC and DOCG regions, especially those with a high number of wines in production such as Valpolicella DOC and Chianti DOCG, the permitted growing region has slightly expanded over time. Classico wines come from the originally set growing area and are usually thought to have a slightly higher quality. This may not be always true, however.
- Appassimento/Passito/Appassite– a popular wine making method for red wines in Italy. These wines are made with grapes that are dried out almost like raisins. This allows for higher concentration of fermentable sugar in the wine creating potential for greater alcohol content and body in the final wine.
- Spumante – indicates a wine is sparkling with a greater amount of CO2 than Frizzante. These wines are sometimes referred to as “fully sparkling”.
- Frizzante – a wine which has some CO2 gas present creating a slight, spritzer-like fizz. This is sometimes referred to as “semi-sparkling”.
- Superiore – Found on regional wines (DOC, DOCG) which have a slightly higher alcohol content than the minimum requirements set by the region. Often a term mistaken to indicate higher quality.
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For many wine drinkers, picking out a new bottle to try based on the label alone can be tricky. In many stores, you may find yourself constantly Googling the label terms trying to discover what might be inside the bottle you might buy next, or the product consultants in store may be too busy to help you out during the Friday night dinner rush. In our online store at 30.50 Imports, we make searching for and understanding each wine simple and convenient. We provide technical details about every wine, an in depth description of the flavour profiles of each wine, descriptions of the terroir and winery the bottle originates from, and even pairing suggestions. Click this link to shop Italian wines, as well as wines from across Europe and the New World.
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