If you’ve ever found yourself lost in the wine section of your local supermarket, you’ll know that the array of red, white, rose and sparkling wines on offer can be a bit daunting.
With such a vast selection of grape varieties, brands and bottle designs, it can be quite challenging to find a wine that suits your taste.
More often than not, it’s simpler to just grab another bottle of your usual favourite.
However, a wine expert has revealed his quick guide to “understanding Italian wine in less than 40 seconds”, which will help shoppers decipher wine labels.
Wine communicator and consultant Luke Flunder shared this advice on TikTok, explaining that it all comes down to three letters on the label, reports the Mirror.
The classification system for Italian wines means that many bottles from Italy will have letters on their labels. As per wine website Decanter, the most common ones are:
- DOP – Denominazione d’Origine Protetta / Protected Designation of Origin (divided into DOC & DOCG)
- IGP – Indicazione Geografica Protetta / Protected Geographic Indication
- VdT – Vino da Tavola
Luke clarified that wines with IGT on the label typically come “from a big area” and are likely to be “mid-quality”.
He added: “If it has DOC on the label it comes from a smaller area [with] more rules and regulations” and is usually “mid to high-quality.”
For those seeking a higher-quality wine, Luke suggested looking for labels with four letters.
If your wine is labelled DOCG, “it comes from an even smaller area [with] even stricter rules and regulations,” he explained, indicating this “should mean the highest quality”.
Decanter informs that the term VdT stands for “table wine” in Italy, indicating the most basic tier in the nation’s wine classifications, usually indicative of mass-produced wines with minimal regulatory constraints.
Luke highlighted a caveat when it comes to unmarked Italian wine bottles, mentioning that absent any initials indicates “grapes can come from anywhere in the country.”
Acknowledging that the classification isn’t flawless, Luke pointed out in his caption: “This is a rough guide but there are exceptions to the rules.
“Some wines such as Super Tuscans are classified as IGT but are amongst the most sought after in the world.”
