The eagle-eyed among you may have seen the letters DOCG, DOC, IGT or VdT on Italian wine labels, but what do they mean?
These classifications, based on Italy’s wine system since the 1960s and aligned with EU terminology, indicate quality and control levels. DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) divides into DOCG and DOC. IGP (Protected Geographic Indication) and VdT (‘table wine’) have fewer restrictions, but some quality wines may be labeled VdT due to producer preferences.
The classifications guide consumers but don’t always guarantee quality, as good wines can exist outside the highest tiers.
Since the introduction of Italy’s first wine classification system in the early 1960s, it has undergone several key updates and refinements. The modern-day hierarchy has three tiers, and the names are in line with European Union terminology:
- DOP – Denominazione d’Origine Protetta / Protected Designation of Origin (divided into DOC & DOCG)
- IGP – Indicazione Geografica Protetta / Protected Geographic Indication
- VdT – Vino da Tavola / Table Wine
This three-tier system was intended to provide consumers with a guide to quality by imposing stricter controls the higher up the pyramid you go, however it’s not an exact science as it’s possible to find find poor examples even in the most prestigious of DOPs, and some of the finest wines in Italy labelled under the much wider ranging IGP or even VdT.
The latter is often the result of a winemaker wishing to pursue different techniques or particular grape varieties not accepted by the strict regulations of the DOPs, which in Italy are divided into DOCG and DOC. Read on for a description of each classification level, starting at the top with DOCG and working down to Vino da Tavola.
DOCG
What it stands for: ‘Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita’
The first few DOCGs were introduced in 1980, and today there are still relatively few; just 77 across Italy.
Geographical areas recognised as DOCG are typically – but not always – the most prestigious winegrowing sites in Italy: for instance Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo, Chianti, Chianti Classico and Amarone della Valpolicella.
DOCGs have the most stringent quality controls in place. These vary from place to place, but can include controls over grape varieties, minimum and maximum altitudes, minimum and maximum yields, grape ripeness levels, winemaking techniques and length of maturation.
All wines labelled as DOCG undergo analysis and testing by a government-approved panel, and are required to have a uniquely numbered status label on the neck: pink for red wines and green for white wines.
Examples: Brunello di Montalcino DOCG; Barolo DOCG; Chianti DOCG; Chianti Classico DOCG; Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG; Franciacorta DOCG.
DOC
What it stands for: ‘Denominazione di Origine Controllata’
There are currently more than 330 DOCs in Italy, and they represent the meat of quality Italian wine. Like with DOCG, rules on winemaking are strict and are based on geographical areas, and undergo analysis and testing by a government-approved panel.
It is a misnomer that DOC is inherently inferior to DOCG. Riccardo Binda, director of Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini DOC Bolgheri e DOC Bolgheri Sassicaia, explains: ‘There are many DOCs that have more restrictive quality parameters than DOCGs…In our case, for example, we do not ask for the DOCG as in terms of quality, we already have very strict quality parameters.’
Examples: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC; Aglianico del Vulture DOC; Bolgheri DOC; Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC; Soave DOC; Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC.
IGT
What it stands for: ‘Indicazione Geografica Tipica’
Created in 1992, IGTs were intended to provide a tier above the basic Vino da Tavola (VdT) for quality wines that didn’t meet the regulations for DOC or DOCG. SuperTuscan wines are a prime example.
There are currently more than 120 IGTs in Italy, covering a huge range of styles and pricepoints.
Today, the IGT classification is typically home to wines made in a more ‘international’ style, eschewing some of the traditional winemaking methods and grape variety stipulations set down by the more stringent DOC and DOCG regulations.
Areas approved for the production of IGT wines can be vast, encapsulating an entire region’s vineyard area. Puglia is by far the largest producer of IGT wines in Italy, bottling 1,459,789 hectolitres from the 2022 vintage, compared to 909,509hl from second-place Emilia [Osservatorio del Vino UIV, June 2024].
Examples: Toscana IGT; Veneto IGT; Puglia IGT; Emilia IGT; Isola dei Nuraghi IGT; Terre Siciliane IGT.
VdT
What it stands for: ‘Vino da Tavola’
Vino da Tavola is the lowest level of wine classification in Italy, typically designed for high volume bulk wines, with little in the way of restrictions.
There are, however, some quality-minded producers labelling wines as Vino da Tavola in cases where even IGT regulations are too much of a straitjacket for winemaking ambitions.
It’s possible to find early vintages of prestigious wines such as Redigaffi, Le Pergole Torte, Sassicaia and Ornellaia labelled as VdT, since the alternative classifications did not provide the flexibility producers were looking for at the time and IGT (and Bolgerhi DOC…) did not yet exist.
