ITALIAN WINE

Italy is well known for creating delectable wine, and with over 3,000 years of viticultural history they have had time to perfect the many variants. While there are technically 20 wine regions in Italy, the major regions can be subdivided into 5 distinct areas: Northwest Italy, Northeast Italy, Western Central Italy, Eastern Central Italy, and Southern Italy. The most significant regions in terms of quality and quantity are considered to be Tuscany, Piedmont, and Veneto.

Italy has regional wine regulations to ensure their quality and govern production. The classifications require wine to satisfy a quality standard and be produced within a particular region, specifying factors such as grape variety, harvest yields, aging, and alcohol content. The DOC label, an abbreviation for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, has been granted to 329 wines in Italy. A bottle labeled DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantia) has more strict qualifications and is considered to be the highest designation, with only 77 wines having this status today.