Familiar with LOL, BBF, OOTD, OTW, OMG but not sure what IGT, DOC, DOCG mean? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Now, you can find out more about them and be sure to know what they mean when you find them on your wine bottle:

Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) – Protected Geographical Indication

This acronym indicates wines produced in large production areas and with less restrictive production rules than those for DOC and DOCG wines. This designation was created in 1992 for wines that were considered to be of higher quality than the simple table wines, but which did not conform to the strict wine laws for their region. An example is Corvina IGT, a red wine produced in Vapolicella from autochthonous Corvina Veronese grapes.

Click here to view more IGT wine

DOC: Denominazione di Origine Controllata – Controlled Designation of Origin

This mark recognises the quality and typicality of wines produced in limited small- and medium-sized areas. An example is Valpolicella DOC wine (Valpolicella and Valpolicella Ripasso Classic and Superior). The production of these wines is controlled by strict regulations that define the production methods and times, and this mark can only be applied after careful chemical and sensorial analyses.

Click here to view more DOC wine

Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) - Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin

This protection mark is attributed to prestigious wines that are recognised both nationally and internationally, and which follow the highest production standards to obtain an excellent quality product that is one of its kind. Seeing this on the label of your wine bottle means that the wine producers followed the strictest regulations possible to make that wine. Currently, there are only a handful of Italian wines that qualify for the DOCG status like the three killer B's Barolo, Barbaresco (Piedmonte) and Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany).

Click here to view more DOCG wine

Click here to view more Italian wines