The concept of Quality wines

in the Union is based, inter alia, on the specific characteristics attributable to the wine's geographical origin. Such wines are identified for consumers via protected designations of origin (PDO) and geographical indications (PGI) .

Registered designations of origin and geographical indications enjoy protection against uses which unduly take advantage of the reputation that complying products command. But also the designations of origin and geographical indications protected are subject to controls, including a system of checks to ensure compliance with the product specifications of the wines concerned.

A Protected designation of origin (PDO) identifies a wine from a region, a specific place or, in exceptional cases, a country, whose quality and characteristics are essentially or exclusively due to particular inherent natural and human factors i.e. to its geographical environment. The grapes have to come exclusively from that geographical area where the production also takes place. The product is obtained from vine varieties belonging to Vitis vinifera.

A Protected geographical indication (PGI) identifies a wines from a specific place or, in exceptional cases, a country, whose specific quality, reputation or other characteristics are attributable to that geographical origin. At least 85% of the grapes used have to come exclusively from that geographical area where production takes place. The wine has to be obtained from vine varieties belonging toVitis vinifera or a cross between the Vitis vinifera species and other species of the genus Vitis.