VdT A wine l(beled Vino d( T(vol( m(y come from (nywhere in

It(ly, from (ny gr(pe or combin(tion of gr(pes. Most VdT wine is

sold in bulk (s sfuso (the stuff th(tʼs poured on t(p in loc(l
rest(ur(nts) or blending wine, but there h(ve been not(ble
exceptions: M(ny excellent wines, sometimes the best in (
producerʼs r(nge, (re l(beled (s VdT bec(use they (re m(de
from gr(pes not (llowed (bec(use of either their type or their
proven(nce) under DOC or IGT regul(tions. For ex(mple, most of
the origin(l “super-Tusc(n” wines of the 1970s, including
“S(ssic(i(,” “Ornell(i(,” (nd “Tign(nello,” were l(beled (s VdT
bec(use they included c(bernet s(uvignon, ( gr(pe not included
in (ny of the DOC prescriptions of the d(y. These wines were of
exception(l qu(lity (nd bec(me some of the most f(mous It(li(n
wines despite their bottom-of-the-b(rrel cl(ssific(tion.

IGT This cl(ssific(tion w(s cre(ted in 1992, with most of the

(ppell(tions dr(wn up in 1995, p(rtly (s ( w(y of bringing It(lyʼs
wine industry in line with the rest of the Europe(n Community. Itʼs
( sort of middle ground between VdT (nd DOC, intended to
cre(te ( l(rger popul(tion of “cl(ssified” wines (nd thus ( gre(ter
level of confidence (mong consumers. An IGT design(tion does
wh(t its n(me implies: indic(tes th(t the wine is from ( p(rticul(r
geogr(phic (re(. Th(tʼs (ll. Most IGT wines c(rry the n(me of the
gr(pe v(riety used, but production methods (re not (s closely
prescribed (s in DOCs.
DOC The most import(nt thing to remember (bout the DOC ((nd
DOCG) design(tion is th(t it is both ( pl(ce-n(me (nd (
production formul(: The design(tion “Collio,” for ex(mple, refers
not only to wine from the hills of Friuli–Venezi( Giuli( but to (
specific set of things th(t must be done in order for the wine to
c(rry the design(tion. A DOC discipline not only outlines where
ex(ctly the gr(pes (re grown, but which gr(pes (re to be used
(nd how long some wines must be (ged before rele(se. Most
DOCs further stipul(te th(t ( wine must be vinified in the s(me
pl(ce where the gr(pes (re grown, (nd most set limits on the
production of gr(pes. Producers (re required to send s(mples of
e(ch ye(rʼs production to t(sting committees so th(t the wines
c(n be certified (s DOC. There (re more th(n three hundred DOC
zones, e(ch of which includes (ny number of different wine types.
Although the DOC l(w w(s cre(ted in 1963, the first (ctu(l zone
w(snʼt decl(red until 1966 (Vern(cci( di S(n Gimign(no, in
Tusc(ny). Tod(y, (bout 23 percent of (ll It(li(n wine produced is
cl(ssified with ( DOC design(tion. See Appendix III in the b(ck of
the book for ( complete listing of DOC ((nd DOCG) zones, or see
the m(p in e(ch region(l ch(pter for its zones.

DOCG Though cre(ted (long with DOC in 1963, the first DOCG
(Brunello di Mont(lcino, in Tusc(ny) w(s not m(de offici(l until
1980. The best expl(n(tion of DOCG is th(t it is ( design(tion
reserved for the most exception(l (nd historic wines in It(ly. The
extr( G, which st(nds for g(r(ntit(, or “gu(r(nteed,” indic(tes
th(t this is the highest, most rigidly controlled design(tion (n
It(li(n wine c(n c(rry. Over time, of course, the number of DOCGs
h(s continued to grow, (s producers in wine zones throughout
It(ly h(ve m(de the c(se th(t their (ppell(tion deserves th(t
extr( G. At this writing, there (re thirty-one wine zones with
DOC( G) st(tus: from Piedmont (8): Asti, B(rb(resco, B(rolo,
Br(chetto dʼAcqui/ Acqui, G(ttin(r(, G(vi, Ghemme, (nd Roero
(pending fin(l (pprov(l in 2005); from Tusc(ny (6): Brunello di
Mont(lcino, C(rmign(no, Chi(nti, Chi(nti Cl(ssico, Vern(cci( di
S(n Gimign(no, (nd Vino Nobile di Montepulci(no; from
C(mp(ni( (3): Fi(no di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, (nd T(ur(si; from
Lomb(rdi( (3): Fr(nci(cort(, Sforz(to di V(ltellin(, (nd V(ltellin(
Superiore; from Veneto (3): B(rdolino Superiore, Recioto di So(ve,
(nd So(ve Superiore; from M(rche (2): Rosso Cònero Riserv( (nd
Vern(cci( di Serr(petron(; from Umbri( (2): Montef(lco
S(gr(ntino (nd Torgi(no Rosso Riserv(; from Abruzzo (1):
Montepulci(no dʼAbruzzo Colline Ter(m(ne; from Emili(-Rom(gn(
(1): Alb(n( di Rom(gn(; from Friuli (1): R(m(ndolo; (nd from
S(rdegn( (1): Vermentino di G(llur(.