Wine Laws and Labelling of Italy Flashcards
What are the two major groups used by the EU to categorise wine?
PDO/PGI - Wines with Geographical Indication;
Wines without Geographical Indication.
Which categories of labelling are used in Italy to reflect the PDO and PGI categories?
Protected Denomination of Origin/Denomazione di Origine Protetta:(PDO/DOP)-
Represented by:
DOCG - Denominazione Di Origine Controllata e Garantita;
DOC - Denominazione Di Origine Controllata;
Protected Geographical Indication/Indicazione Geografica Protetta (PGI/IGP):
Represented by:
IGT - Indicazione Geografica Tipica.
What does DOCG on a wine label signify?
- wines at the top of the quality pyramid;
- Wines of high reputation showing intrinsic qualities inherent to their specific delimited area of production.
The area is usually smaller than for a DOC.
What does DOC on a wine label signify?
- Wine which is one step below the DOCG level;
- Wines which come from delimited geographical areas that are usually larger than for a DOCG.
What does IGT on a wine label signify?
- Wines that are not from a DOCG or DOC - primarily defined by an indication of the geographical area where they are made;
- Growing areas are quite large, ranging from an entire province or region or multiple regions or provinces.
How is a wine without origin described in Italy?
Vino.
Will only show the country of origin and can be made from grapes grown outside an appellation or blend of grapes from multiple appellatons. May show grapes and vintage.
What does “Classico” on a label indicate?
A wine produced from the historical winegrowing area of a DOCG or DOC, e.g. Chianti Classico.
What does “Superiore” on a label indicate?
A wine with a higher ABV compared to a “non-Superiore” version of the same wine; may also have stricter production standards.
What does “Riserva” on a label indicate?
A wine which has had an extended period of ageing compared to non-Riserva version; usually has higher production standards.
What does “Rosso” on a label indicate?
A red wine.
What does “Bianco” on a label indicate?
A white wine.
What does “Rosato” on a label indicate?
A rose wine.
What does “Spumante” on a label indicate?
A fully sparkling wine.
What does “Frizzante” on a label indicate?
A semi-sparkling wine.
What does “Passito” on a label indicate?
A wine made from semi-dried grapes.
What does “Terroir” mean?
A French concept that integrates soils, site, aspect, climate and (arguably) the hand of man as contributing factors to the wine’s signature of place.
What are the three broad ways in which wine is labelled in Italy?
- By place/region e.g. Barolo DOCG;
- By Grape and Place e.g. Barbera D’Alba DOC;
- By Fantasy name and place/region e.g. Montevertine Le Pergole Torte Toscan IGT.
What does “appassimento” mean on the label?
It means a wine made from “drying” grapes and is the ancient technique of air-drying grapes. It concentrates the flavours, sugars and acids as they shrivel up. Can be done indooors or outdoors.
What does “recioto” mean on the label?
A sweet wine made from grapes dried by appassimento method.
