Italian term for a zone or the wine produced there in an enclave within a larger DOC/DOCG area. This is often a historical core area with the best areas in mostly higher vineyards on slopes or steep slopes. As a rule (but not necessarily), the best quality wines of the area are produced there due to better conditions. The specifications regarding authorised grape varieties or blends, minimum alcohol content, maximum yield, ageing period in barrel and/or bottle or other criteria are usually stricter or more restrictive than in the other normal DOC or DOCG areas. Wines from this area then carry the additional designation "Classico" on the bottle label.
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Markus J. Eser
Weinakademiker und Herausgeber „Der Weinkalender“