🏷️ DOC (Italy)

DOC (Italy) is an Italian wine category with a controlled name of origin: the wine is made in its own zone under set rules. DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) is the Italian category for wine from a defined area made under set rules. The name can be translated as controlled designation of origin. The system appeared in Italy in 1963.

Each DOC has a set of rules: which grapes may be used, how much crop may be taken per hectare, how long the wine must be aged, and what the minimum alcohol is. Wines are tested chemically and by tasting. Italy now has more than 330 DOCs. They are united in the producers' association Federdoc.

DOC sits in the middle of the Italian pyramid. Above it is DOCG, with stricter rules and a guarantee. Below is IGT, a looser indication of the area. In the European Union, DOC and DOCG fall in the category of protected designation of origin (PDO). DOC belongs to Italian wine and tells the buyer where the wine is from and under which rules it was made. But it is not a guarantee of taste.