Italian wines are considered some of the most distinctive wines in the world. Italian wines come from a country that has been producing wine since pre—Roman era, which is before the second century BC. Of course, Italian wines have changed over the years and the quality has increased significantly. Italy is able to sustain grape growth all year long and hosts over 1 million grapevines for the purpose of wine making. This influx of grape production helps keep the cost of many Italian wines reasonable. Italy has been known to export at least one fifth of the wine sold internationally, outnumbering any other country. But what about the quality of Italian wines?

 The indication of quality vary on Italian wine bottles. The lowest quality rating, Vino da Tavola, or VDT indicates that the wine originates from Italy and is considered a table wine. However, not all table wines in Italy are considered of below standard quality. This code can also indicate that the wine is of very high quality but it hasn’t passed the wine laws necessary for a higher rating.

IGT labels indicate that the wines within the bottles are of excellent quality and have become some of the most distinguishable Italian wines. For centuries Italy held its wine production to the same standard of processing in order to be considered high quality. IGT wines broke the mold, creating a very high quality wine while straying from the traditional and rather stringent wine laws of yesteryear. These wines are also considered a table wine of superior taste and quality.

 Wines that are harvested from specific areas throughout Italy are assigned one of two ratings. DOC wines come from grapes that are grown in the most aptly suited regions of Italy for optimum grape growing and are restricted to using specific grape species in order to qualify for the DOC rating. DOCG is remarkably similar to the DOC rating. The main difference is the required taste test that a DOCG rated wine must go through for every batch. An official goes through a blind taste test to determine that the wine’s quality has remained uncompromised and the taste has remained unaltered. Italian wines are easy to spot once you know which ratings you are looking for.

Related posts:

1. Spanish Wines
2. French Wines
3. German Wines – Part II