Glossary

IGP

IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) is the umbrella term under EU law for products with a protected geographical indication and the Italian equivalent of the European abbreviation PGI (Protected Geographical Indication). It applies to both wines and foodstuffs and differs from DOP in that it imposes fewer restrictions: Whilst under DOP all stages of production and processing must take place within the geographical area, IGP merely requires that 85 per cent of the grapes originate from the area in question and that the wine is produced there.

For wine, IGP was introduced in 2010 as part of the reform of the EU's common market organisation and corresponds to the national Italian classification IGT at European level; the Italian abbreviation IGT continues to dominate on labels. For food products, IGP has existed since 1992 and covers a wide range of Italian classics, including Mortadella Bologna, Bresaola della Valtellina, Radicchio Rosso di Treviso, Limone di Sorrento, Nocciola del Piemonte, the protected aromatised wine Vermouth di Torino, and numerous regional olive oils. – SUPERIORE.DE

IGT

IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is the third tier in the Italian wine classification system, below DOC and DOCG and above the current "Vino" category (formerly: "Vino da Tavola"). It was introduced in 1992 by the Legge Goria (Law No. 164) to cover wines with a clear geographical origin but with more flexible requirements regarding grape varieties and cultivation methods. IGT wines must source at least 85 per cent of their grapes from the specified area; the rules on permitted varieties, yields and vinification are significantly less stringent than for DOC or DOCG.

Historical examples of the need for more flexible categories of origin were the Super Tuscans of the 1970s and 1980s – Tuscan wines of the highest quality that used Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or other international grape varieties outside the DOC specifications and which, as a result, could only be bottled as Vino da Tavola until 1992. Icons such as Sassicaia, Tignanello and Ornellaia found an appropriate legal framework within the IGT system; Sassicaia was later even granted its own DOC category. Italy currently has over 100 IGT zones, with Toscana IGT being the best known internationally. Since 2010, IGT wines have been classified under EU law as IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta). See also: IGP. – SUPERIORE.DE

Imbottigliato all'origine

"Imbottigliato all'origine" is a protected label designation for Italian DOP and IGP wines, indicating a close link between production and bottling. The legal basis for this is EU Delegated Regulation 2019/33 on the labelling of wine products and the Italian Ministerial Decree of 23 December 2009. Merely bottling the wine within the protected area or its immediate vicinity is not sufficient for this claim; what is decisive is the legally defined link between the producer or production facility and the bottling.

The statement thus documents a close geographical and production-related link between grape production, vinification and bottling, without itself constituting a legally defined proof of quality. A stricter variant is the designation "integralmente prodotto": this may only be used if the grapes originate exclusively from the estate's own vineyard and have been vinified on the same estate. – SUPERIORE.DE

Inert gas

"Inert gas" is a chemical term referring to a gas that does not react with other substances under the given conditions. In the cellar, this applies to nitrogen and argon.

It is not the same as a "protective gas", a term which refers to the function of displacing the oxygen above the surface of the wine. Carbon dioxide also fulfils this function and is therefore considered a protective gas, but it is not an inert gas – it dissolves in the wine and can affect the mouthfeel. Every inert gas used in the cellar is therefore a protective gas, but not every protective gas is an inert gas. – SUPERIORE.DE

→ See also Protective gas · Reductive