Wine Law

1 The Matter of Geographical Indications and Designations of Origin in the Wine Field: Italian and European Perspectives 1 Paola Gelato 2 1. Introduction; 2. Geographical Indications and Designations of Origin; 3. Relationship between Designations of Origin, Geographical Indications, Collective Trademarks and Certification Trademarks; 4. Sanctions due to the Infringement of Designations of Origin and Geographical Indications; 5. Conclusion. 1. Introduction Wine production constitutes a crucial field of the Italian economic system, representing, at the same time, a fundamental cultural heritage and one of the main products, likely to identify the country all over the world. It is interesting to notice that Article 1 of the Italian Consolidated Law on Wine 3 expressly describes wine production and the vineyards territories, with the traditional know-how of producers, as a national cultural heritage. The wine field plays a very important role in the general Italian economy, since wine market in Italy has a value of about 14 million Euros 4 . A remarkable characteristic of Italian wine production is that every region and every district do have their own typical and unique features. Consumers may appreciate this rich variety of products, characterised by an absolute biodiversity, from the famous red wines of Piedmont, such as Barolo and Barbera, to the sweet fortified wines of Sicily, from the Venetian Prosecco to red wines of the Chianti district in Tuscany. 1 I wish to sincerely thank Mr Stefano Vergano, trainee lawyer in my office, who has given a fundamental contribution to this work. 2 Partner at Jacobacci Law Firm. 3 Law No. 238 of 12 December 2016. 4 For a detailed analysis of the value of the Italian wine market see : https://www.unioneitalianavini.it/vino- italiano-vale-14-mld-di-euro-ma-si-puo-fare-di-piu/, https://www.corriere.it/economia/aziende/19_aprile_07/vinitaly-solo-vino-vale-143-miliardi-28percento- consumi-italiani-3caafd52-591b-11e9-859f-47e26e3c4c3e.shtml and https://www.repubblica.it/economia/rapporti/osserva-italia/il- vino/2019/04/07/news/il_vino_e_gli_italiani_amore_da_14_3_miliardi_di_euro-223382047/.