Wine Law

4 Spanish ones, will certainly help the promotion abroad and the export, protecting, at the same time, consumers’ interests. Moreover, it is important to recall that also Eastern Europe countries have increasingly important wine productions, in particular Bulgaria. Coming now to the national level, geographical indications and designations of origin are ruled by Law Decree No. 61, of 8 April 2010, and are also defined by the recent Law No. 238, of 12 December 2016, known as Consolidate Law on Wine. These provisions, in terms of legal definitions, expressly refer to the abovementioned EU Regulations. However, Article 28 of the Italian Consolidated Law on Wine provides for the protection of specific traditional names of geographical indications and designations of origin, concerning the wine sector. Indeed, PDOs are divided in two different categories; i.e. DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) and DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin). Wine PGIs are identified with the traditional name of IGT (Typical Geographical Indication). The traditional names adopted by Italian legal system, as well as the division of wine PDOs in two different levels, mirror the structure established by Law Decree No. 930, of 12 July 1963, and Law No. 164, of 10 February 1992. These legal instruments, which have introduced the notion of geographical indications and designations of origin in Italy, have successfully created a pyramidal system, based on the idea that the main aim of the creation of legal forms of protection shall be the qualitative enhancement of wine production. This is the reason why PDO have been divided in two levels, with the aim of creating a category of production characterised by the maximum level of quality, corresponding to DOCG products, which are identified as the top of the pyramid. In order to obtain the recognition of a geographical indication, or a designation of origin, producers of the relevant geographical area have to strictly follow certain requirements, concerning grapes and methods of production. These Requirements are included in the specifications of production, or Use Regulation, ruled by article 35 of the Italian Consolidated Law on Wine. The requirements’ strictness follows the pyramidal structure of the system, from the IGT to DOC and DOCG, which constitutes the highest qualitative level, with the most severe productive conditions.