My ongoing frustration with Italian wine labeling. What is this and from where in Italy does it come?
Bisson
Colline Del Genovesato Bianco
Indicazione Geografica Tipica
Pigato
Bisson Soc Agricola s.a.s.
Chiavari Italia
Haven’t heard of it before but seems pretty clear to me. Let me check and see…
Even without looking it up, “Colline” is hills and Genoa is Genova in Italian, so it’s from hills near Genoa. Chiavara is a town on the Ligurian coast/Italian Riviera. Pigato is a Ligurian grape. So no great mystery.
Never translated “colline” before. Thank you. I thought everything else was self evident. Always figured that “colline” meant “area” or some such.
So, what is Tipica?
The word means typical, but Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) is akin to an appellation – a geographic area – but without the requirement that the wine be made with traditional local grapes or in a traditional way. The IGT system was created for the Super Tuscans, since many didn’t rely on sangiovese or other grapes of that region. An IGT Toscano just tells you it’s from Tuscany.
I’m surprised you haven’t come across IGT. It’s a bit like Vin de Pays in France, but often with an implication of high quality, which doesn’t usually flow from Vin de Pays.
Not sure why your wine doesn’t qualify for a DOC or DOCG since pigato is a Ligurian grape. It must be grown in some locale that doesn’t fall within a DOC. There’s a decent explanation of the Colline Del Genovesato IGT here.
What you got is a good tasting pigato that only cost you around twenty bucks. You should rejoice your socks off and study more Italian!
In wine terms, Colline is akin to Côtes in France – wine from an area with hills or slopes – although the literal meaning of côte is coast or slope or rib.
molto grazie ragazzo!
Also, Collines Rhodaniennes from the Northern Rhone - Rhonish hills.