Many wine drinkers are at least somewhat familiar with Italian wine laws and wine labeling. The basic idea is that Italian wines carry a place-name above all else, just like French wines: Chianti Classico is a place, and its specific boundaries are delimited by law, just like Bordeaux.
Yet in Italy, as in France, the particularity of these places makes reading a label feel like a geography test. Just where, exactly, is Salice Salentino? And what does that tell you, especially if you’re an American who’s accustomed to selecting wines by grape variety? The label doesn’t necessarily say that the wine is from Puglia made from the negroamaro grape. Just “Salice Salentino.” The rest is up to you, or the person selling it to you.
Not only is information often absent, there’s also the occasional curveball. Some-times Italians do throw grapes into their place names—like Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (the montepulciano grape of Abruzzo) or Vermentino di Gallura (vermentino from Gallura, in northeastern Sardinia). Then there are wines branded with nomi di fantasia (fantasy names), such as “Sassicaia” or “Terre Alte.” If you’ve never heard of these wines before, you’ll need more information than just these names, either on the bottle (luckily, it’s usually somewhere on the label) or on the wine list.
Thus, it helps to know Italy’s wine laws, and by association its wine “zones”—an exhaustive field of study if there ever was one. The modern legislation governing Italian wine production was created in 1963, when the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (Denomination of Controlled Origin) was devised. Modeled after France’s appellation contrôlée laws of the 1950s, the Italian version had the same goal: to classify and regulate the production of wines from specific geographic areas, not only to authenticate these wines but to help them develop commercial identities. Prior to the creation of DOCs, most Italian wine was sold in bulk as Vino da Tavola (table wine).
As overseen by Italy’s minister of agriculture, there are now four official classifications of Italian wine: Vino da Tavola, or VdT (the most generic of the group); Indicazione Geografica Tipica, or IGT (Typical Geographic Indication, meant to be a step up from table wine, like French vin du pays); Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or DOC; and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, or DOCG (Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin, reserved for a handful of wines considered of exceptional pedigree).
A wine labeled Vino da Tavola may come from anywhere in Italy, from any grape or combination of grapes. Most VdT wine is sold in bulk as sfuso (the stuff that’s poured on tap in local restaurants) or blending wine, but there have been notable exceptions: Many excellent wines, sometimes the best in a producer’s range, are labeled as VdT because they are made from grapes not allowed (because of either their type or their provenance) under DOC or IGT regulations. For example, most of the original “super-Tuscan” wines of the 1970s, including “Sassicaia,” “Ornellaia,” and “Tignanello,” were labeled as VdT because they included cabernet sauvignon, a grape not included in any of the DOC prescriptions of the day. These wines were of exceptional quality and became some of the most famous Italian wines despite their bottom-of-the-barrel classification.
This classification was created in 1992, with most of the appellations drawn up in 1995, partly as a way of bringing Italy’s wine industry in line with the rest of the European Community. It’s a sort of middle ground between VdT and DOC, intended to create a larger population of “classified” wines and thus a greater level of confidence among consumers. An IGT designation does what its name implies: indicates that the wine is from a particular geographic area. That’s all. Most IGT wines carry the name of the grape variety used, but production methods are not as closely prescribed as in DOCs.
The most important thing to remember about the DOC (and DOCG) designation is that it is both a place-name and a production formula: The designation “Collio,” for example, refers not only to wine from the hills of Friuli–Venezia Giulia but to a specific set of things that must be done in order for the wine to carry the designation. A DOC discipline not only outlines where exactly the grapes are grown, but which grapes are to be used and how long some wines must be aged before release. Most DOCs further stipulate that a wine must be vinified in the same place where the grapes are grown, and most set limits on the production of grapes. Producers are required to send samples of each year’s production to tasting committees so that the wines can be certified as DOC. There are more than three hundred DOC zones, each of which includes any number of different wine types. Although the DOC law was created in 1963, the first actual zone wasn’t declared until 1966 (Vernaccia di San Gimignano, in Tuscany). Today, about 23 percent of all Italian wine produced is classified with a DOC designation. See Appendix III in the back of the book for a complete listing of DOC (and DOCG) zones, or see the map in each regional chapter for its zones.
1. Producer Name
2. Vintage
3. DOC Designation, as indicated by the term Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC). If the designation is an Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT), or a Vino da Tavola (VdT), it will say so.
4. Grape Variety. In this case, the DOC designation includes provisions for wines labeled by varietal. This is not always the case with DOC wines. In most instances only the DOC name is listed—leaving the consumer to figure out where the wine is from and what grapes it is made with.
5. Type of Wine. United States law requires that this be stated somewhere on the bottle.
6. Size and Alcohol Content. These must also be stated according to United States law.
7. Proprietary Name. Not an official designation.
8. Importer Name. Required by United States law. Usually found on the back label.
9. Sulfite and Government Warnings. Also required by United States law. This and the other warnings and specifications must be worded and positioned in a way that satisfies the U.S. Customs Service.
10. Producer Name. In most instances, it is the same as the name on the front label, but not always. The front label may carry a brand name, rather than an actual winery name, making this back label listing useful in determining exactly what the winery name is.
Though created along with DOC in 1963, the first DOCG (Brunello di Montalcino, in Tuscany) was not made official until 1980. The best explanation of DOCG is that it is a designation reserved for the most exceptional and historic wines in Italy. The extra G, which stands for garantita, or “guaranteed,” indicates that this is the highest, most rigidly controlled designation an Italian wine can carry. Over time, of course, the number of DOCGs has continued to grow, as producers in wine zones throughout Italy have made the case that their appellation deserves that extra G. At this writing, there are thirty-one wine zones with DOC(G) status: from Piedmont (8): Asti, Barbaresco, Barolo, Brachetto d’Acqui/Acqui, Gattinara, Gavi, Ghemme, and Roero (pending final approval in 2005); from Tuscany (6): Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, Chianti, Chianti Classico, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano; from Campania (3): Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, and Taurasi; from Lombardia (3): Franciacorta, Sforzato di Valtellina, and Valtellina Superiore; from Veneto (3): Bardolino Superiore, Recioto di Soave, and Soave Superiore; from Marche (2): Rosso Cònero Riserva and Vernaccia di Serrapetrona; from Umbria (2): Montefalco Sagrantino and Torgiano Rosso Riserva; from Abruzzo (1): Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane; from Emilia-Romagna (1): Albana di Romagna; from Friuli (1): Ramandolo; and from Sardegna (1): Vermentino di Gallura.
So, is a DOCG, DOC, or IGT designation an assurance of quality? Not really. Think of it first and foremost as a means of organizing the wines in your mind. For all of the refinements in Italian winemaking (and lawmaking) in the last decade, there are still no guarantees.
The Italian novelist Primo Levi, in his World War II novel If Not Now, When?, had this to say about Italians and laws:
The Italians don’t like laws: in fact, they like disobeying them: it’s their game, like the Russians’ game is chess … when someone cheats them, they think: look how smart he is, smarter than me. And they don’t plan their vengeance, but at most another game, to get their own back.
So it is with Italy’s winemakers. They have lots and lots of laws, which they delight in creating, revising, and most especially, debating. But obeying them is another story.
Take the case of the Soave DOC zone, in the region of Veneto. Originally defined in the 1930s, it consisted of a cluster of hills between the communes of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone, east of Verona. In the years after the Soave DOC was created, the “official” production zone was expanded into the plains to the west and south, to accommodate giant industrial wineries. Today, only about 20 percent of all Soave produced is from the original “Classico” zone. If you pick up a bottle of Soave without any knowledge of the producer, you may get one of the mass-produced, insipid wines that gave the zone such a bad image in the past, or you may get an excellent, elegant white that you didn’t think existed. Even with the recent “elevation” of Soave Superiore to DOCG status, the name Soave still sends mixed messages, something many vintners have lamented.
Although this has been the case in other DOC zones, and although there are any number of essentially useless DOCs all over Italy (created by local politicians to help winegrowers avoid mandatory distillation rules), the designation does mean much more today than it once did. The Chianti Classico zone is one of many DOCs that has been revised for the better (see the Tuscany chapter for more on this). While there are no sure bets, a DOC designation most certainly improves your chances of getting a good bottle. When all is said and done, most of the best Italian wines you’ll drink are apt to have one.
Trying to keep track of all the grape varieties in Italy is like driving in Naples—chaotic and exhausting. For those wine drinkers who think “grape first,” Italian wines are a never-ending source of intrigue—or intimidation, depending on your outlook.
According to Attilio Scienza, a well-known professor of enology at the University of Milan, there are more than 800 distinct grape varieties to be found in Italy. Of these, nearly 400 have been catalogued and “authorized” for planting by Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Naturally, the 500 or so that are not authorized are finding their way into some of the wines we drink, and may factor even more prominently in the future: Scienza has organized a consortium of producers to “adopt” certain varieties that are nearing extinction, as a means of preserving Italy’s rich viticultural heritage.
Of course, it’s not necessary to memorize all of Italy’s grapes. Most of the best Italian wines come from a fairly narrow range of varieties. Among the reds, the wines of northern Italy are highlighted by the nebbiolo grape (Barolo, Barbaresco, and Lombardy’s Valtellina), the center is dominated by sangiovese (Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano), and the south is aglianico country (Taurasi, Aglianico del Vulture). Whites are tougher to pinpoint: The north tends to have a richer mix of indigenous grapes (tocai friulano in Friuli–Venezia Giulia, cortese in Piedmont, garganega in Veneto) and French/German imports (chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, gewürztraminer). But the center and south feature mostly neutral natives: trebbiano, the greco family, and inzolia (ansonica). On the map on the following page, we’ve highlighted the principal grape varieties of each region as a quick reference.
The Twenty Most Planted Grapes in Italy lists the dominant grape varieties in the vineyards of Italy, which now cover about 1.7 million acres in twenty-one regions. As evidenced by some of the most-planted varieties, there’s still a tendency toward mass-production in much of the country. For example, cataratto, grown only on Sicily and used in Marsala, is also a favored grape for bulk wines and concentrated musts. The trebbiano family, if taken together, would easily rank first, even though the vast majority of trebbiano is anonymously blended. Merlot, the jewel of Pomerol in France, is typically more of a workhorse in Italy, helping vintners stretch production from the top to the toe of the boot.
But this is just an overview. And forget for a moment that both merlot and chardonnay factor among the top ten most-planted grape varieties in Italy. For every “workhorse” grape, there’s also a distinctive and delicious one that you’re not likely to find anywhere else in the world. As you read through this book, you’ll notice that each region of Italy has its own specialties, a fact that speaks not only to the fragmented, multicultural history of the Italian peninsula but to the diversity of its terrain. Italy was once the cradle of ancient viticulture, and this history has been preserved in an incomparable array of grapes, from the oddly funky lagrein of the Alto Adige to the citrusy fiano of Campania and the meaty uva di troia of Puglia. It may seem overwhelming to keep track of them all, but there are certainly worse problems to have.
To download a PDF of this image, visit http://rhlink.com/vita021s
1. Sangiovese (red)
172,342 acres
10.3% of Italy’s Total
2. Catarratto Bianco Comune (white)
106,860 acres
6.4% of Italy’s Total
3. Trebbiano Toscano (white)
104,913 acres
6.3% of Italy’s Total
4. Montepulciano (red)
73,705 acres
4.4% of Italy’s Total
5. Barbera (red)
70,021 acres
4.2% of Italy’s Total
6. Merlot (red)
63,297 acres
3.8% of Italy’s Total
7. Trebbiano Romagnolo (white)
49,472 acres
3.0% of Italy’s Total
8. Negroamaro (red)
41,414 acres
2.5% of Italy’s Total
9. Moscato Bianco (white)
32,812 acres
2.0% of Italy’s Total
10. Chardonnay (white)
29,091 acres
1.7% of Italy’s Total
11. Garganega (white)
28,755 acres
1.7% of Italy’s Total
12. Nero d’Avola (red)
28,194 acres
1.7% of Italy’s Total
13. Manzoni Bianco (white)
23,610 acres
1.4% of Italy’s Total
14. Inzolia (Angonica) (white)
23,519 acres
1.4% of Italy’s Total
15. Malvasia Bianca di Candia (white)
21,713 acres
1.3% of Italy’s Total
16. Trebbiano Abruzzese (white)
21,480 acres
1.2% of Italy’s Total
17. Prosecco (white)
20,123 acres
1.2% of Italy’s Total
18. Cabernet Sauvignon (red)
19,872 acres
1.2% of Italy’s Total
19. Primitivo (red)
19,647 acres
1.2% of Italy’s Total
20. Aglianico (red)
18,666 acres
1.1% of Italy’s Total
*See Appendix II for descriptions of these varieties. To download a PDF of this information as a table, visit http://rhlink.com/vita001.
Source: Istituto Statistica Mercati Agro-Alimentari (ISMEA), Rome, 2000.
So you were in Florence on vacation, and you noticed that the bottle of Brunello di Montalcino you pay $100 for in the United States cost a third of that in the trattoria you ate in every night. In the past, this may have been partly explained by favorable exchange rates. Yet in addition, Italian restaurateurs, unlike most of their American counterparts, are allowed to buy wine directly from wineries (only in California do American restaurateurs have this luxury) instead of from distributors, who mark it up. Plus, Italian wine in Italy usually doesn’t travel too far from winery to restaurant: If you’re in Naples, the wine list will be mostly Campanian. If you’re in Florence it’ll be Tuscan. So it’s only natural that Italian wines cost less in Italy.
Americans, of course, pay not only the pure shipping fees of getting a wine from Italy to the United States, but also the costs of the assorted people who make it happen. The first of these is the importer, who is licensed both federally and in the state in which he does business. A wine importer is essentially a facilitator: He locates an estate whose wines he thinks he can sell in the United States, cuts a deal with the winery to purchase some, then takes care of getting it here. The importer’s two main tasks after finding and purchasing the wine are first to produce a label that meets requirements outlined by the U.S. Customs Service (which can be a nightmare of nitpicky bureaucratic editing), and second to consolidate the shipments of the wine, most of which leave Italy from the Tuscan port of Livorno. Naturally, the importer charges a fee for this service.
Once the wine lands on American shores, the law requires that a wholesale distributor take possession of it and oversee its sale to retail stores and/or restaurants. Some companies are both importers and distributors, in which case they must acquire distributor’s licenses in each individual state. In most cases an importer is simply an importer, and therefore must form partnerships with various distributors across the country.
Before a retailer or restaurateur has a chance to buy a wine from a wholesale distributor, a variety of costs have been built into the wholesale price: shipping costs from Italy to America; the importer’s fees; a variety of excise and other taxes; and the wholesaler’s fees for storing the wine getting it from point A to B. After all that, the retailer or restaurateur takes a cut before the consumer price is set.
It works something like this: Let’s say an American importer, who typically has exclusive rights to the products he brings to the States, pays an Italian winery $10 a bottle for a particular wine. Generally speaking, the costs of shipping, storing, and distributing the wine will likely double the price, to $20 wholesale in the States. A standard retail markup formula is 50 percent of cost, meaning that a wine bought at $20 wholesale will be marked up in a store by half of its cost ($10), putting the price to the consumer at $30. In a restaurant, where the standard markup has historically been three times cost, that same wine will be $60. As a general rule, if what you’re paying in a restaurant is more than double what you pay at retail, you’re being overcharged—although that’s tough to say if the wine is very rare or an older vintage.
The above scenario is the most simple one. On occasion, an Italian winery may work with a consolidator, broker, or marketing concern when dealing with American importers, meaning that the importer can’t buy directly from the winery and thus must absorb the costs of a middleman. And once the wine is here, its passage from importer to distributor to retailer or restaurateur is subject to lots of haggling. Finally, in the multitude of states known as “control” states, where the state government takes possession of wine before selling it to retailers and restaurants, prices will be higher still, because the state adds in its own layer of fees.
All of this can cause wide variations in price. It is far from safe to say that a wine that costs an importer $10 in Italy will cost $20 in the American wholesale market. Other than what the market will bear, there are no standards as to what importers and distributors charge. The same goes for restaurants and retail shops. Depending on their relationships with importers and distributors (i.e., how much wine they buy, how good they are at negotiating), they may be able to acquire a wine for less than the guys down the street, and thus offer a better price to you. In the case of restaurants in particular, the approach to markups is always evolving, with the traditional three-times-cost formula becoming increasingly antiquated. The best restaurants tend to scale their markups, so that the more expensive wines aren’t priced out of the reach of customers. The lowest-priced wines are still often marked up three times, but higher-end bottlings are treated a little more gently: A popular formula is to double the cost and then add a set dollar figure, such as $10 or $15, across the board, so that wines at the very highest price tiers are marked up the least.
To market the incredible breadth of Italian wines, there is a vast array of Italian wine importers, large and small. Most of them in the United States are based on the East Coast, but not all have national distribution for the wines they import, whether because the wines aren’t produced in sufficient quantity or because of the logistics of the importers forging partnerships with multiple distributors. Importers who are not also distributors face greater challenges: they must sell not only retailers and restaurateurs on their wines, but first must convince the distributors to carry their products.
Because there are so many players in the importing game, there are all sorts of names strewn across Italian wine bottles these days. One of them is Marc de Grazia, who is not an importer but a marketing agent of sorts for a large number of Italian wineries. He is based in Italy and acts as a broker and advisor to wineries, arranging to have his selections imported by the firm of Michael Skurnik Wines in New York, and others. A similar arrangement is shared by the U.S.–based Leonardo LoCascio and the national importing firm of Winebow, Inc. The list of noteworthy Italian wine importers is a long one, but some of the important names to remember are Robert Chadderdon Selections, Vias Imports, Vinifera Imports, Summa Vitis Inc., JK Imports, Lauber Imports, VinDivino, Artisan Wines, Vignaioli Inc., Panebianco LLC, Domaine Select Wine Estates, John Given Wines, Paterno Imports, and Palm Bay Imports.
Being a smart buyer of Italian wine means finding retailers and restaurateurs who are themselves smart buyers of Italian wine. Since all bottles carry the name of their importer on them, one approach is to see if a lot of different wines in a store are from the same importer. It could be a hint that the retailer has a good relationship with that importer and there’s a chance it could be reflected in the price. Moreover, if you happen to notice a particular importer’s name on a number of bottles you like, there’s no harm in contacting the importer yourself. Explain that you are interested in his or her portfolio, and ask if there’s a retail store in your area that carries a particularly broad selection of his or her wines. In many cases, importers will be willing to shuttle product through a local retailer for you, particularly if you’re interested in a large quantity (by law, the importer cannot sell to consumers directly). Because of the relative ease of such a sale, both the importer and the retailer might be inclined to shave their markups somewhat, since so little effort was required on their parts to make the sale.
As for Italian wine in restaurants, there’s no surefire way to find values unless you’re good at memorizing competitive prices. On most restaurant lists, you’re likely to find good buys in the middle of the price scale (since the lowest-priced wines are usually marked up the most). And it never hurts to chat up the sommelier, maybe dropping a compliment or two about his or her selections; if you can find out what the wine people are genuinely excited about, you’re in for something interesting.
