Surely, while reading articles on our website, or visiting grocery stores in Italy, you paid attention to the abbreviations DOP, IGP, DOC, found in the names of some products. We have repeatedly mentioned that the presence of these symbols gives us a guarantee of quality and preserving the tradition of the product. Let’s finally figure out how they work. Let's start with the least demanding standard and continue with increasing.
STG
Specialità Tradizionale Garantita (Guaranteed traditional products) is a quality mark that came from the European Union and aims to protect manufacturers using traditionally traditional manufacturing methods. Product category STG is not tied to a specific geographical territory, but it must fully comply with tradition.
The STG product list is finally approved by the Commission of the European Union, and factories that have received the quality mark regularly undergo production checks.
In addition to the specific name, traditional raw materials, stages and manufacturing methods, products must have at least one characteristic that distinguishes it from products of another manufacturer. Thus, the same dishes made in different factories and belonging to different categories can significantly differ from each other both externally and in taste.
notice, that To obtain a category, the product must be present on the market for at least 30 years. Today, only two Italian products have the STG category. These include Mozzarella and Neapolitan pizza (Pizza napoletana).
IGT
Indicazione Geografica Tipica (Typical Geographical Name) is one of five existing signs confirming the quality of Italian wine. It was introduced to promote drinks of good quality, but not meeting the requirements of more stringent categories.
Unlike DOP or DOCG, IGT wine products are not required to be produced from grapes fully harvested in a limited area. Wines with this logo may not contain information about the origin of the grape variety. However, this does not affect their quality.
Some manufacturers sell their wine with the IGT mark at high prices, because its level is not inferior to drinks of the best category.
Do not confuse drinks of the IGT category with “table wines”, as the latter consist of a mixture of two or more wines, as a result of which their names are usually not specific. One of the requirements of IGT is that at least 85% of the grapes used should be obtained in a particular area and have characteristic flavoring properties. The remaining 15% may be of another variety harvested in the same region or in areas adjacent to it.
In some areas of Italy, the term IGT on the label is replaced by a phrase written in the local language. So, in Valle d'Aosta they write "VIN DE PAYS", and in Bolzano you can see the inscription "Landweine".
Today, 118 Italian wines have the IGT quality mark. But this list is shrinking every year, as manufacturers 5 years after receiving the category can apply for a higher status, for example, DOC.
IGP
Indicazione Geografica Protetta (Protected Geographical Name) is a quality mark that came to Italy from the European Union to protect food and agricultural products, at least one of whose characteristics (name, quality, traditions) is directly related to the territory of production. Unlike other standards, for IGP, it is enough that one of the stages of the preparation of raw materials, processing or production should be associated with a specific locality.
The IGP quality mark was introduced in Italy to protect traditional products from counterfeiting and misuse of trademarks. You can easily recognize a product of this category by its logo: a blue-yellow sun, inside of which is clearly written Indicazione Geografica Protetta.
Obtaining the IGP badge is not an easy task. To do this, manufacturers apply to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry with a statement detailing the historical origin, territory and specifics of the product. A meeting of manufacturers and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce is organized to verify that the goods comply with all the requirements of the regulation. The data received are sent to the European Commission, for which there will be a final decision. After receiving the category, an independent specification body recognized by the Ministry regularly monitors compliance with all the rules.
Currently 117 Italian products are classified as IGP. This group includes vegetables, cereals, meat, fish, desserts, pasta, wines. Since 1992, many wines with the IGT mark have received the category of protected geographical name. This was done to enhance the status of drinks and designate their high quality.
Doc
Denominazione di Origine Controllata (Controlled Origin Name) is a quality mark born on the Italian peninsula in 1966 to guarantee the customer a decent level of product whose origin you will definitely know. The likelihood of fakes is minimized thanks to a set of checks that are constantly carried out in the production process.
This sign is often used in winemaking. Incidentally, it was originally introduced by Italians as an analogue of AOC (Appellation d'origine Controlée - Origin of Authenticity of Origin), which appeared in France at the beginning of the 20th century to determine high-level wines.
Defining DOC wine is easy. Just look at the label: immediately under the name should be the inscription Denominazione di Origine Controllata.
The wines awarded this name are necessarily produced in a specific area where grapes used for its preparation also grow. The product must be of good quality, and if the wine has better properties than the rules require, then it is assigned the DOCG category. Before getting the DOC status, the wine must have the IGT logo for at least 5 years.
Under the control of DOC products are not only production processes, but even methods of maintaining the vine (pruning, irrigation), the output of grapes from a hectare of the territory, as well as its alcohol production. The rules are so strict that the visual assessment of the wine takes into account not the color, but its shade, which should be strictly specific for a particular variety.
In the consumer characteristics of their goods, the manufacturer must describe:
- Physico-chemical and organoleptic properties;
- Grape sort;
- Shade of color, taste and aroma of the drink;
- Alcohol content, acidity;
- Volume, material, shape of the bottle;
- The climate of the territory of production, soil composition, rainfall and the history of wine, if known.
The first drink to be awarded the name with controlled origin, May 6, 1966 was the white wine of Vernaccia San Gimignano (Vernaccia di San Gimignano). By the current year, there are 322 varieties awarded with the DOC quality mark and manufactured in many parts of Italy.
Read about: the city of San Gimignano
Docg
Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (Name with controlled and guaranteed origin) - a sign introduced by Italians in order to guarantee the quality and origin of the most valuable wine.
Although the category appeared in 1963, it really began to work in the 1980s.
A product can be classified as DOCG only if it meets certain characteristics:
- Must have a DOC logo for at least 10 years;
- Outperform DOC drinks and be quite popular;
- Wine production over the past 2 years should be economically sustainable.
DOCG, unlike DOC, refers to a specific wine-growing territory, which can be limited not only by region or city, but also by a separate section of the province. The Quality Supervision Commission, in addition to the processes described for the DOC, controls the stage of bottling wine.
You can recognize this category of wine by the DOCG inscription located both on the label and on the cap of the neck.
The first Italian drinks awarded the DOCG quality mark in 1980 were the now widely known red wines Brunello di Montalcino and Nobile di Montepulciano. To date, 74 drinks are included in this category.
Appearing on the peninsula, the European DOP quality mark began to supplant the DOCG logo from wine labels. But, despite this, the second option is still used by manufacturers. Now there are versions with two logos at once.
DOP
Denominazione di Origine Protetta (name with protected origin) is a sign of protection of products whose quality properties are associated exclusively with the territory of production.
Among all the standards of Italy, DOP is the most famous, and with it the toughest. Goods of this category are strictly controlled, from the receipt of raw materials to the moment of entering the market. It is produced only in a specific place, since the combination of climate, environment and human factors make the product unique.
The DOP logo is a yellow-red sun with the inscription "Denominazione di Origine Protetta" inside in a circle.
Cheese producers applying for DOP status must indicate in the application:
- Product name and production territory;
- Type of milk, a detailed process for its production, physico-chemical and organoleptic properties;
- Detailing the production process with a detailed description of all stages;
- Physico-chemical characteristics of cheese (maximum humidity, protein, fat content in dry matter);
- Organoleptic characteristics: taste, aroma, appearance;
- Weight and shape of the heads.
A logo, if available, with a thorough explanation of the details and an indication of the percentage of each color.
There are currently 165 products in Italy with the DOP quality mark. These include wines, cheeses, meat, fish, butter. Cheese and dairy products make up one third of Italian products in this category. About 50 varieties of cheese have been awarded DOP status.
If you are reading this phrase now, then it is hoped that our article has been fully studied. And this means that, armed to the teeth with the necessary information, you can easily navigate the Italian food variety. Eat well, fly high, travel with style and remember: "There are no exceptions to Italian rules!"
