Italian Wine Label Information

Italian wine laws are rather straightforward as all the wines are classified under four designations, with two falling under the EU category Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) and two falling under the category of table wine or Vino da Tavola.

• QWPSR:
  • Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG): Highest classification for quality Italian wines. The wines can only come from specified regions.
  • Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC): Below DOCG and equivalent to the French AOP.
• Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT): Denotes wine from a more specific region within Italy. Many of the finest wines in Italy may be labeled IGT to avoid DOC or DOCG regulations. Before the IGT was formulated, a lot of these top wines were labeled as simply Vino da Tavola.
• Vino da Tavola (VDT): Italian table wine. This is not always synonymous with other countries' legal definitions of 'table wine'. The appellation indicates either an inferior quaffing wine, or one that does not follow current wine law. Some quality wines do carry this appellation.

Please have a look at the illustration below for a typical quality Italian wine label. You may also find the glossary of label terms at the end of this page useful.

Italian Wine Terms

Bianco	White
Chiaretto	Pale red or dark rosé
Rosato	Rosé
Rosso	Red
Azienda/Tenuta	Estate
Azienda Agricola	An estate that grows its own grapes to produce wine
Cantina	Winery
Cantina sociale	Co-operative winery
Cascina	Wine estate
Produttore	Wine Producer
Vigneto	Vineyard
Vendemmia	Vintage
Secco	Dry
Amaro	Bitter or dry
Abboccato	Lightly sweet
Amabile	Medium sweet
Dolce	Sweet
Passito	A wine made from dried grapes with strong flavour. Can be dry or sweet
Recioto	Red or sweet white wine made from dried grapes
Vin Santo	White dessert wine from Tuscany made form dried grapes
Amarone	A DOC red wine made from dried grapes
Ripasso	A style of wine with a lot of body, alcohol and flavours resembling Amarone wines
Spumante	Sparkling
Frizzante	Slightly sparkling
Metodo Classico	Sparkling wine made by the classic Champagne method
Superiore	Usually wines with higher alcoholic strength
Imbottigliato all'origine	Estate bottled
Classico	Generally wines from better vineyards in DOC and DOCG zones

Please also have a look at the wine label information for the European Union, France, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Alsace, Champagne, Germany, USA, Australia or a general information regarding wine labels.

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