Wine is produced in every region of Italy.
Italy is the country with the widest variety of indigenous grapevine in the world its standing as a wine-producing powerhouse continues to flourish. More than 400 types of grapes are grown across 20 winemaking regions, helping Italy take the global top spot in terms of the amount of wine produced, and putting it second only to Spain when it comes to exports.
Ancient Roots
The origins of vine-growing and winemaking in Italy has been illuminated by recent research, stretching back even before the Phoenician, Etruscans and Greek settlers, who produced wine in Italy before the Romans planted their own vineyards. The Romans greatly increased Italy’s viticultural area using efficient viticultural and winemaking methods.
Vines have been cultivated from the wild Vitis vinifera grape for millennia in Italy. It was previously believed that viticulture had been introduced into Sicily and southern Italy by the Mycenaeans, as winemaking traditions are known to have already been established in Italy by the time the Phoenician and Greek colonists arrived on Italy’s shores around 1000-800 BC. However, archeological discoveries on Monte Kronio in 2017 revealed that viticulture in Sicily flourished at least as far back as 4000 BC – some 3,000 years earlier than previously thought. Also on the peninsula, traces of Bronze Age and even Neolithic grapevine management and small-scale winemaking might suggest earlier origins than previously thought.
Under ancient Rome, large-scale, slave-run plantations sprang up in many coastal areas of Italy and spread to such an extent that, in AD 92, Emperor Domitian was forced to destroy a great number of vineyards in order to free up fertile land for food production.
During this time, viticulture outside of Italy was prohibited under Roman law. Exports to the provinces were reciprocated in exchange for more slaves, especially from Gaul. Trade was intense with Gaul, according to Pliny, because the inhabitants tended to drink Italian wine unmixed and without restraint. Although unpalatable to adults, it was customary, at the time, for young people to drink wine mixed with a good proportion of water.
As the laws on provincial viticulture were relaxed, vast vineyards began to flourish in the rest of Europe, especially Gaul (present-day France) and Hispania. This coincided with the cultivation of new vines, such as biturica, an ancestor of the Cabernets. These vineyards became so successful that Italy ultimately became an import centre for provincial wines.
Italian Appellation System
In 1963, the first official Italian system of classification of wines was launched. Since then, several modifications and additions to the legislation have been made, including a major modification in 1992. The last modification, which occurred in 2010, established four basic categories which are consistent with the latest European Union wine regulations (2008-09). The Italian Ministry of Agriculture (MIPAAF) regularly publishes updates to the official classification. The categories, from the bottom to the top level, are as follows:
Vini da tavola (‘table wines’)
At the lowest level are table wines (VdT). It is mandatory to include on the label the production batch, the volume of the container, the bottler’s data, the place of bottling and vinification (if different places take place), the alcohol content, the gasification (if existing), the phrase ‘contains sulphites’ only if the threshold of 10 mg/L of sulfur dioxide is exceeded. The specification of the color is optional, while the mention of the grape variety is not foreseen.
Vini IGT (‘typical geographical indication wines’)
IGT wines comply with European Community regulation Nr.823 of 1987. Indication of the grape variety, production year and production area are optional.
Vini DOC (‘controlled designation of origin wines’)
In addition to what is foreseen for IGT wines, the labels of DOC wines must specify the production areas more precisely. These wines cannot be produced with grapes intended for IGT wines, and must necessarily be subjected to chemical-physical and organoleptic analyses during the production phase.The DOC recognition is exclusively reserved for wines produced in areas recognised as IGT for at least five years. The sub-areas where they are produced can optionally be mentioned on the label. On the label it is possible to mention further characteristics of the wine (e.g. classic, superior). The year of production must be mentioned on the label.
Vini DOCG (‘controlled and guaranteed designation of origin wines’)
DOCG wines are subject to more restrictive regulations than those of DOC wines. The DOCG denomination is applied only to wines that have been recognised as DOC for at least seven years and are of particular quality. During bottling, chemical-physical and organoleptic analysis is mandatory, batch by batch, and the individual bottles are marked with a control band placed in such a way as to be damaged when the bottle is opened.
“Wine is bottled poetry”
— Robert Louis Stevenson