Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC tightens reclassification rules
Any Italian grape grower, winery, bottler or cooperative wishing to reclassify their wines as Delle Venezie DOC must commit to the move by an annual cut-off date to help protect volumes and quality. Speaking exclusively to db, consortium director Stefano Sequino explains the motive behind the move.
Key operators in the north east of Italy (Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino), including growers, producers, bottlers, groups and cooperatives, will from now on have to decide by a specific cut-off date whether they would like any portion of their wines to be classified as Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie.
The move responds to the fact that many players in the north east of Italy, in the areas of Collio DOC and Friuli DOC, for instance, could make a Pinot Grigio eligible for either of the aforementioned appellations or Delle Venezie DOC – and there has been no deadline by which to make that decision.
Speaking exclusively to db, consortium director Stefano Sequino explained that until now players have been allowed to “inflow” into the DOC throughout the calendar year, but stricter measures will be implemented for 2026 and beyond.
The rule change has been in the pipeline since 2024, and Sequino confirmed: “It’s the first time such an approach has been introduced in Italy.”
Coordinating when and how members of the 20 or so co-existing Denominations of Origin (DOs) can adopt the DOC label “is a structural tool that allows us to manage volumes in an effective and coordinated way,” said Sequino.
Volume visibility
“Up to the 2023 vintage, inflows into DOC Delle Venezie were spread across the entire calendar year following harvest, creating uncertainty around timing, volumes and resulting availability,” he explained. “For this reason, it was decided to introduce a clear annual deadline in order to gain timely visibility of incoming volumes during the production season (rather than only at the end of the calendar year), so that we can more clearly define the scale of supply-management measures.”
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From the end of April, Delle Venezie DOC will “manage the production potential” for the full Pinot Grigio growing area (around 27,000 hectares, producing a quantity of 230 million bottles per year).
Sequino stressed that introducing a fixed cut-off date (30 April) “has not reduced DOC Delle Venezie volumes: instead, it has encouraged producers to make their decisions earlier.”
Consumer clarity
According to Sequino, the main objective of the move is to ensure stability in both volumes and value.
“The effects of these measures will not be directly perceptible to consumers,” he told db. “But they will certainly contribute to maintaining a high level of quality, and the strong identity profile of Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC.”
Calling the DOC “a benchmark for the most exported and consumed Italian white wine in the world”, he added that the appellation’s success is the result of a precise strategy, including the reduction of the maximum yield of grapes per hectare.
Delle Venezie DOC now accounts for 85% of Italy’s Pinot Grigio and 43% of the world’s Pinot Grigio.
To discover all the medallists from the drinks business‘ 2025 Global Pinot Gris Masters competition click here.
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