Italy makes more wine than any other country in the world. This by itself doesn’t mean anything, but when you take into account the quality and the enormous number of small craft producers who contribute to the production, it becomes clear that Italy also makes some of the best. The country is known for its beauty and history, but the wine is just as important; Italy was one of the first countries to start producing it, even before 700 BC. Imagine a place that is home to innovative trends in the vineyard, a huge number of micro-territories which link to many different and unique terroirs and a nation with the largest heritage of grapes on the planet, and you start to get an idea how special Italian wine is.

In Italy, wine isn’t just a drink; it’s something that represents the history, society, food, geography and the evolution of the country. The vino itself is seen as a guardian of tradition; a sort of time capsule for each year and a way to tell the story of every vintage.

Wine is so important to both the people and the Italian government that it soon became the country with the largest number of classifications (DOCG, DOC and IGT). These letters are given to different wines depending on how the grapes are grown and the wine is made. They’re badges of honour for many wine producers, as it means they have followed very strict guidelines to make great wine. If you see these letters on a bottle, then it is a guarantee of both quality and that the wine’s flavour perfectly express a single territory’s characteristics.

Only Italian wines fall under these three classifications (known as appellations), but it can be hard to work out what they mean. Here’s a quick rundown of what each classification means.

Wines in this category have been made under the highest level of restrictions. Everything from the way the grapes are transported from the vineyard to the cellar to the refinements and bottling is heavily controlled. Only a handful of wines achieve DOCG status.

There is still a very high level of restriction for DOC wines, but the regulations aren’t quite as intense as DOCG.

IGT is a new classification that falls just under DOC. The wines are usually made in a larger production area and there’s more leeway for the producer to put their own ideas or quirks into the process. This is why IGT wines are often linked to the so-called ‘new wave’ organic, biodynamic and natural varieties being created across Italy. It’s important to remember that while it is technically classed as below DOC, some of the best Italian wine is labelled as IGT.