What Is DOC and DOCG Wine? Differences Between DOC, DOCG, IGT, and VdT on Italian Wine Labels

Can you tell which wines are higher quality than others just by looking at their labels? Not with certainty, but most wine producing countries have a labeling system that attempts to make it easier for consumers to understand what to expect from a given bottle. France is successful with its well-known Appellation d’origine controlee (AOC) scheme, a wine classification system based on where and how wines are made. Italy’s denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) system, introduced in 1963, is based on the French model, but goes one step further: It specifies not only the production area and methods for each wine, but also guarantees the quality standard of certain wines which pass a government taste test.