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Hello and welcome to the Wine Educate Podcast, where we explore WSET education, study tips, and practical advice for wine enthusiasts and professionals. I'm your host, Joanne Close, and this is Episode 72.

Last week in the newsletter, I asked what wine laws you wanted me to cover next, and over 75% of you said Piedmont. But before we dive into that beautiful (and complex!) region, it’s important to first look at Italy’s wine laws as a whole. Understanding the bigger framework will make learning regions like Piedmont much easier.

In this episode, I’ll cover:

• Italy’s geography and climate – stretching across varied latitudes, mountain ranges, and volcanic soils.

• The incredible grape diversity – over 350 authorized grape varieties and potentially hundreds more still being identified.

• The wine law system – from the EU’s PDO/PGI framework to Italy’s own DOC, DOCG, and IGT designations.

• History of Italian wine laws – why Italy was later than France to adopt these systems, and how they evolved from the 1960s through the 1990s.

• Key labeling terms – what Classico means (think historic heartland sites) and how Riserva indicates longer aging.

This episode will give you a solid foundation so when we get into regions like Barolo, Barbaresco, Valpolicella, Alto Piemonte, and Valle d’Aosta, the details will click into place.

If you’re not yet on the Wine Educate newsletter, make sure to sign up at wineeducate.com – it’s where I share extra study tips and give you a say in which regions we cover next.

On Thursday, we’ll start with Barolo and Barbaresco, two of the most iconic DOCGs in Italy. See you then!