November 28, 2008
CMO Reform: A Label Revolution?

La Nazione, a daily newspaper circulated mostly in central Italy, reported today on the situation in regards to the approved European Union CMO Reform (Common Market Organization), which will go into effect on August 2009 and will require Italy, like all other EU member countries, to adjust its food and wine laws to the new rules governed by the EU becoming the jurisdiction of Brussels. This new appellation system has created quite a lot of controversy as producers have very different views on what this means for the future of Italian wines.

The CMO Reform requires all the current wine appellations be incorporated and adjusted to match the current laws that govern and protect food products today. So what does this mean for Italy? In brief that all its current DOCGs and DOCs will need to become DOPs, while its IGTs will become IGPs; essentially that the country’s actual 472 DOCGs, DOCs and IGTs will have to be turned into 182 DOPs and IGPs. This new system would therefore impose each wine producing area of Italy, or territorio, to be associated with only one DOP or IGP. For example in Montalcino the new Brunello DOP appellation will "cancel out" the current Rosso di Montalcino DOC. Subzones will no longer exist as they will be taken over by a single DOP.

Some Italian producers fear that this new classification system will trivialize wine, forcing territorial characteristics, local differences and cultural identities to be lost, weakening the recognition of the territory in the longrun. Others instead look at how globalization has opened the door to the threat of competition from the New World where wine appellations are based on international varietals, such as Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay—classifications that don't need to be explained because easily recognized by consumers around the world. So what are Italy's chances to remain competitive in this new market with its 472 wine appellations, some so small and obscure that they are not even familiar to Italians? Those in favor of the Reform believe that it is important to keep things simple, arguing that less DOPs will allow a territory to be better recognized, especially abroad, as each comprehensive DOP will require a more focused marketing and promotional campaigns, facilitating control and protection.

Who's right? The fact remains that the large number of Italian wine classifications is justified by the reason that each was created to recognize and protect the country’s numerous traditional quality products already in existence for centuries. Sommeliers and experts alike believe that regardless of the name of the appellation, Italian wines will continue to be appreciated the world over, looking to the Super-Tuscans for encouragement—IGTs that conquered the international scene without having to acquire the higher DOCG status.

Quality is not necessarily attached to titles or labels. What will attract wine enthusiasts is the difference in what is in the bottle: the wine will speak for itself. On this point Italy has no reason to worry. As the wine market changes and the new Reform goes into effect, no other country will be able to replicate what can only be achieved on Italian soil.