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Wines of Italy

Quality wine


Italy's classification system is a modern one that reflects current realities.
It has four classes of wine, with two falling under the EU category Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) and two falling under the category of 'table wine'.
The four classes are:

Table Wine

Vino da Tavola - Denotes wine from Italy. NOTE: 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. Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) - Denotes wine from a more specific region within Italy. This appellation was created for the "new" wines of Italy, those that had broken the strict, old wine laws but were wines of great quality. Before the IGT was created, quality "Super Tuscan" wines such as Tignanello and Sassicaia were labeled Vino da Tavola.

QWPSR

Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC). Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). Both DOC and DOCG wines refer to zones which are more specific than an IGT, and the permitted grapes are also more specifically defined. The main difference between a DOC and a DOCG is that the latter must pass a blind taste test for quality in addition to conforming to the strict legal requirements to be designated as a wine from the area in question. Presently, there are 120 IGT zones. In February 2006 there were 311 DOC plus 32 DOCG Vini (DOCG – DOC). Information published by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture.

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Characteristics

Important wine-relevant geographic characteristics of Italy include:
The extensive lattitudinal range of the country permits wine growing from the Alps in the north to almost within sight of Africa in the south
The fact that Italy is a peninsula with a long shoreline, contributing moderating climate to coastal wine regions
The extensive mountains and foothills providing a range of altitudes for grape growing and a variety of climate and soil conditions

Italy wine

Good and excelent wines are found in the historical wine countries as in the new ones.
Peaceful, welcoming landscapes or dramatic, rough ones, as well as venerable coltural heritages, enrich most continents.
Tasty, various, and healthy cuisines belong, instead, only to few lucky countries.
But few, gifted places offer a balance of all of that at once, and of that old fashined art of living.