What are Italian wines with Protected Designation of Origin?
What are their characteristics?
What makes them special compared to other wines?
Italian wines with Protected Designation of Origin are wines that are closely linked to their region of origin.
In fact, each PDO wine has a specific geographical area of origin and can only be produced in a specific region: this allows the final consumer to be sure of the product’s geographical origin.
The indissoluble bond with the place of origin allows PDO wines to contribute in a positive way to the development of the regions where they are produced, because:
– they contribute to the promotion of products that boast a very strong tradition and an indissoluble bond with the local community;
– they promote the development of farms in the local area and across the country;
– they contribute to the preservation of rural areas where PDO wines are produced.
Italian wines with Protected Designation of Origin can be divided into three types:
– PGI wines
– DOC wines
– DOCG wines
DOCG, DOC and PGI are distinctive symbols that guarantee the origin of wine and protect it against counterfeiting.
DOCG, DOC and PGI symbols represent protection for the consumer who, in the presence of these symbols on the label, can be sure a specific wine comes from a specific area and has been made according to specific production regulations.
Every wine with a Protected Designation of Origin has been made according to specific production regulations, which clearly and precisely regulate the procedures for the production of the wine in question, providing a further guarantee to the consumer.
The production regulations set forth the characteristics a wine must possess in order to benefit from the specific appellation, among which we mention the ampelographic base, the production area, the standards for viticulture, the characteristics for consumption and the link with the geographical environment.
As part of this last point, the production regulations of PDO wines also define human factors relevant to the connection with the region: people and the viticultural tradition of these areas, therefore, assume an extremely important value, and the human element becomes one of the main features of the final product.
Italian wines with Protected Designation of Origin also play a fundamental role in environmental protection and sustainability: the link with their land of origin, in fact, promotes the safeguarding of ecosystems and biodiversity and develops the social cohesion of the community.
Sustainability is a fundamental goal for wines with Protected Designation of Origin: an increasing number of producers of PDO wines are adapting to sustainability standards.
One of the cutting-edge tools for certifying the sustainability of Italian PDO wines is Equalitas, the standard created with the aim of promoting the sustainability of the agri-food and wine supply chains and that allows a wine to be certified as sustainable according to three pillars: social, environmental and economic.
Italian wines with Protected Designation of Origin are therefore a shared heritage, and behind each bottle, there is a story built on passion, professionalism and tradition, which links our regions to the people who, day after day, make it possible for these extraordinary Italian excellences to reach our tables.