Enoteca Italiana

DOC and other denominations

The introduction of DOC, the controlled denomination of origin, made consumers feel better informed and winemakers more motivated to improve production. It was the first real tool for consumer defense concerning wine quality and became, in common parlance, a synonym for quality. Quality was derived from the characteristics of the territory and consolidated winemaking traditions (in fact, a territory that "invents" itself today, that has no real history of wine production, cannot become a DOC appellation). Quality was also attained through the producer's respect for production processes legally established by DOC production regulations (they are state laws), which guarantee the reliability and rigor of production methods aimed at enhancing the particularities of that specific wine.
As a consequence, the customer was no longer interested in buying an ordinary product cheaply: purchases became more targeted.
However, any wine that met the minimum prerequisites set by production regulations was a DOC, with no distinction made between them. This fact, plus other limitations that began to show up on a substantially expanding wine scene, made it necessary to create new regulations inspired by the guiding principles that form the basis for wine legislation in other EU countries. In fact, the law passed in 1992 and known as the "164," established a new philosophy to the winemaking scene. Although partially reiterating the previous law, at least following the same general lines, “164” also made it possible to distinguish the finest wines. In addition, the law responsed deliberately to winemakers who believed that the previous law was too rigid, especially in regards to new-conception wines that were gaining popularity as high in quality and international in taste. In the past this rigidity had forced many producers to call even their premium products "table wines," as opposed to DOC wines, putting them outside the legal framework. Law No. 164 codified new distinctions that permitted an updating of wine classification since it no longer gave equal status to (in the end leveling out) all DOC output, whatever the qualitative differences actually existing, as had been the case before.
The new law underlined the importance of territory. The denomination could specify the subzone, community, locality or even vineyard—the cru—in which a wine was made, in order to make it unmistakable. In reality, these territorial specifications are only attributed to a limited number of winemakers. This geographical aspect takes on qualitative value because no grape grower would ever give a low-grade wine the name of a specific vineyard. Moreover, the finer a wine, the more closely it is scrutinized. To give a graphic idea of wine distribution based on Law No. 164, imagine a pyramid like the one shown above, which represents the enological hierarchy according to denomination type. The bottom of the pyramid consists of generic ordinary wines, the first level of the hierarchy. Generally, their only reference is to color (white, red, rosé) along with the name and trademark of the bottling company. These wines can be the product of blends of grapes or wines from different geographical areas, different varieties and even different vintages. On the second level are the IGT, Indicazione Geografica Tipica, or typical wines of geographical provenance. They are primarily distinguished by the geographical area from which they come (Tuscany, for example), the basic variety of vine (such as Sangiovese) and the year of harvest (vintage).

On the third level of the pyramid are the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC), or controlled denomination of origin, wines. This class can always be found on the label below the wine's appellation. DOC wines are made in a specific district and have enological, chemical and organoleptic characteristics established by the specifications regulating production. These extremely detailed regulations lay down the law with regard to wine types (e.g. Rosso Riserva, Vendemmia Tardiva [Red Reserve, Late Harvest]), grape types (only certain varieties can be used), amount of grapes obtainable per hectare of vineyard (e.g. 90 quintals per hectare), yield (e.g. 60%), and how long the wine might be aged.
In practice, special governmental boards, like the Agricultural and Forestry Ministry's Central Fraud Inspectorate, control the entire production cycle, from vineyard to bottle. Before going on the market, DOC wines undergo chemical and organoleptic tests by special tasting commissions appointed by each Chamber of Commerce. These commissions make sure the wines meet all prerequisites.

To reiterate the importance the law gives to territory, DOC wines (unlike IGT) must indicate the subzone (e.g. Colli Orientali del Friuli Cialla), meaning the specific area (Cialla) within a DOC zone (Colli Orientali del Friuli). There is also a set of special indications: "Riserva," suitably aged, high-quality wines; "Superiore," wines with alcohol content above that set for the DOC (e.g. Frascati wine has a minimum of 11 alcohol content, while Frascati Superiore has 11.5); "Classico" wines are made in the historic area of a larger zone (e.g. Orvieto DOC covers numerous communities in Terni and Viterbo provinces, while Orvieto Classico can be made only in the circumscribed area of the original and older production zone).

At the top of the pyramid are the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG), or controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin, wines. Each bottle must carry the government seal, a neckband issued by the state. The DOCG label is reserved for premium wines that have belonged to the DOC for at least five years, and have passed two tests based on chemical and organoleptic analyses, one at the time of production (like DOC wines) and the other before bottling. The higher up on the pyramid, the stricter the production regulations and the more restrictive the prerequisites.
According to European Community standards, the two bottom categories—generic table wines and IGT wines—fall into the table wine category, while the denomination of origin wines on the third and fourth levels (DOC and DOCG) are combined by European law into a single group, the VQPRD, or Vini di Qualità Prodotti in Regione Determinata (Quality Wines Made in Specific Regions). Today in Italy there are 350 (35 DOCG, 315 DOC) denominations of origin and within each there are different types of wine.