DOC stands for
Denominazione di Origine Controllata,
or Original Location Certified

In 1963, a Presidential Decree introduced a law that established rules to protect the naming of wines' original locations. In this, Italy followed France that had adopted similar rules back in 1952 with the introduction of the Appellation d'origine.

Currently the rules are regulated by the L. 164/92 and DPR 930/83, a follow-up decree of the L. 116/63 and are know as "New Discipline of Original Location Certification".

The wine is classified in three categories:

    1. Vini da Tavola or Table Wines. They are split into two sub-categories:
      1. Vino da tavola (VTD) or Table Wine, and
      2. Vino da tavola con indicazione geografica tipica (IGT) or Table wine from typical geographic area
    2. Vini di qualitá prodotti in regione determinata (VQPRD) or Quality wines produced in a defined region. They are divided into:
      1. Vino a denominazione di orogine controllata (DOC) or Original location certified, and
      2. Vino a denominazione di orogine controllata e garantita (DOCG) or Original location certified and guaranteed
    3. Vini speciali or Specialty wines, including aromatized and liquorous wines.

With the exclusion of the specialty wines that represents a niche product, the Italian wines are qualified in ascending value from VDT (table wines) to DOCG (original location certified and guaranteed wine).

On this site we list and describe the over 300 DOC and the over 20 DOCG Italian wines. Check back with us, since we are preparing two new web sites dedicated to the I.G.T. wines and organic wines respectively.

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