Label DOCG, DOC and IGT Some may be better and more enticing than others (or at least they ought to be), but all must comply with the law. The label is the way the consumer should be able to obtain all the information about the wine he or she is drinking; a sort of identity card for the bottle. Wines come in three main groups: table wine, quality wines and special wines. Table wines are subdivided into table wines and table wines of certified geographical origin (IGT, similar to French vin de pays). These are subject to regulations and controls which are less strict than those dealing with the characteristics of quality wines, but this does not always mean that they are of low quality or are adulterated. Many famous Italian 'table wines' use grapes or winemaking techniques which do not conform to the rules for D.O.C. production of the area. At least 85% of the IGT tables wines are from the geographical area they are named after and must meet certain standards such as the maximum grape yield per hectare, minimum natural alcoholic strength, the vines from which they may be made and so on. Quality wines are divided into DOC wines (appellation controlée) and DOCG wines. The DOC wines originate from a well-defined region. The oenological, chemical and organoleptic (smell and taste) characteristics have to conform to very precise standards. In practice the entire production cycle from the vineyard to the bottle must conform to the regulations governing production. Before being put on sale they must undergo two chemical and organoleptic tests, one during the ageing stage and the other before bottling. DOCG wines are particularly valued products which are subject to much stricter rules than DOC wines. Each bottle bears a state label which is assigned to the bottlers in relation to the hectolitres of wine actually produced. Before going on sale the wines undergo two chemical/organoleptic tests, one during ageing and the other before bottling. For DOCG it is compulsory to declare the year the grapes were harvested and this is also required for new wines and DOC wines which are labelled 'superiore' or 'riserva' (reserve is a wine which has been aged for longer than usual and 'superiore' indicates a wine which has characteristics which are better than the ordinary DOC). Finally, the special wines. These may be classified into sparkling wines, strong sweet wines and aromatic wines. The sparkling wines may be labelled VSQPRD (quality sparkling wine produced in a given region) or VSQ (quality sparkling wine). Where the winemaking process is concerned two methods are distinguished: the classic method and the Charmat-Martinotti (tank or 'cuve close' method). There are seven different types of sparkling wine, depending on their sugar content: zero dosage, extra brut, extra dry, dry ('secco'), semi-dry ('semisecco') and sweet. The strong sweet wines are obtained from a base wine (usually from aromatic grape varieties) to which spirit, alcohol or concentrated must are added. Aromatised wines are enriched with alcohol, sugar and infusions or herb extracts which give special tastes. They should have one of the following terms on the label: vino aromatizzato (aromatised wine), vermut (vermouth) or vino chinato (wine containing cinchona bark).