GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS AND DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN 69 The extension of every Geographical Indication and Designation of Origin may vary significantly. Some DOs cover several provinces and even more than one region, such as the Prosecco DOC, which is produced in several provinces of Veneto and Friuli, while other PDOs and PGIs identify productions realised in smaller territories, for instance, the territory of the Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC (a prestigious Tuscanian wine) is entirely included in the vineyards of a single company, the famous Tenuta San Guido. Moreover, according to article 30 of the Italian Consolidated Law on Wine, Geographical Indications and Designations of Origin may coexist in the same territory; however, in this case, the names of the PDOs and PGIs cannot be identical. Consequently, the second designation shall adopt a different name, which, in any case, may refer to the relevant geographic area. Furthermore, the same provision foresees that DOC and DOCG productions may coexist in the same region, meaning that a restricted area of a DOC may be recognised as a DOCG area of production. Concretely, this means that producers’ organisations may decide to raise the qualitative standards of their production, mirrored in more strict requirements introduced in the relevant specification of production, trying to obtain the DOCG recognition in a restricted area of a previously established DOC. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that every region has followed its own strategy in promoting their productions. For instance, Piedmont6 has invested all its efforts to promote the highest valuable wines, fixing stricter requirements. As a result, in Piedmont, there are no IGTs, with every protected wine production being a PDO, either DOCGs or DOCs. This choice, shared equally by the local authorities and producers’ organisations, has pushed local producers to raise the quality standards, allowing a remarkable growth in the qualitative and economic value of the productions7. Furthermore, Piedmont has also obtained important achievements in the recognition of additional geographical mentions, which correspond to the famous French notion of “cru”. An additional geographical mention, which is added to the Designation of Origin, identifies the specific vineyards in which wine is produced. Piedmont’s Barbaresco and Barolo have been the first DOCGs to establish additional geographical mentions, introduced in 2007 (66 for Barbaresco and 181 for Barolo). The system of additional geographical mentions has been followed by other regions, 6 With 60 PDOs, Piedmont is the region with the largest number of protected productions, directly followed by Tuscany, with 59 productions, and Veneto, with 44. 7 Data available in: https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/4625.
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