New specification approved, allowing 10-degree alcohol content for Orvieto Doc. First wines on the market and research project for a more modern and sustainable appellation.
The Consorzio Tutela Vini di Orvieto announces a historic step for the denomination: with the final approval of the new specification by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (Masaf), it will now be possible to produce Orvieto Doc with a minimum alcohol content of 10 degrees. The ordinary amendment has already been published in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic (No. 111 of May 15, 2025) and is awaiting the final formal passage at the EU level, which will sanction its full effectiveness.
The initiative was born in the context of the temporary modification of the specification, introduced to cope with changed climatic conditions for the 2024 vintage, and was an opportunity to renew and enhance the identity of the Orvieto Doc Denomination. It is no longer just a technical experiment: the first two low-gravity wines (2024 vintage) – 10 and 10.5 degrees – have been produced by two consortium member companies and are currently on the market.
Production will also be confirmed with the 2025 harvest, a sign that the project has already yielded concrete results, both in terms of quality and trade. The new possibility represents a concrete response to changing climate, consumption and markets.
With this initiative, Orvieto Doc is projecting itself into the future without renouncing its historical identity, choosing to flank the more structured and traditional wines with fresher, lighter and more contemporary versions.
The technical team
The technical project behind the first two wines was guided by three leading figures in Orvieto and national oenology:
- Pier Paolo Chiasso (Chiasso Cotarella Society)
- Paolo Nardo (Italian Wine Group),
- Massimiliano Pasquini (Castello della Sala – Marchesi Antinori),
joined by producer Enzo Barbi (Decugnano dei Barbi), a historic interpreter of the DOC and a leading player in the renewal of the area.
The group of winemakers presented the new samples to the membership base of the Consorzio Tutela Vini di Orvieto in recent days, with the intention of demonstrating how a contingent need can be translated into a concrete opportunity.
The initiative, in addition to testifying to a significant spirit of cohesion within the appellation, has brought to light two wines with a surprising profile: unprecedented interpretations, capable of combining innovation and stylistic coherence, which open up new perspectives.
The blind tastings
At the consortium meeting, members were able to blind-taste the two new wines, which have already been bottled, and found a surprising balance of aroma and taste, combined with a well-preserved territorial recognizability.
Consortium President Vincenzo Cecci commented, “From climate adaptation comes an idea of value. With the modification to the specification and the concrete release of the first Orvieto Doc wines with low alcohol content, we offer the market a real answer: wines that are more modern, lighter, but deeply rooted in our territory.” .
The president of the Technical Scientific Commission Riccardo Cotarella also emphasized the innovative nature of the operation: “This result shows that a wine can remain identity and quality even with a lower alcohol content. We are the first in Italy to take this step in DOC, and we do it with consistency and technical awareness.”
Joint statement by the three winemakers (Nardo, Pasquini, Chiasso).
“Today we are taking an important step for Orvieto, a step that looks forward without forgetting its roots. This new type at 10 degrees alcohol comes from listening carefully to the signals we receive from the territory, the climate and consumers. We live in a time when freshness, drinkability and lightness are increasingly in demand, but without ever sacrificing quality and identity.
We have worked to create an Orvieto capable of telling the story of the richness of our grapes and terroir, in a more modern and versatile version. It is not a question of replacing Orvieto Classico or Superiore, but of flanking a new option, designed for young people, for summer clubs, for aperitifs and for those looking for wines that are balanced and easy to drink, but with personality.
It is a technical and cultural challenge: to maintain elegance, structure and flavor in a wine with only 10 degrees. To achieve this, we put experimentation into every stage of production, from grape selection and early harvesting to vinification with selected yeasts and low temperatures.
The result?
A wine that is light in alcohol content, but rich in quality, ready to speak to the market and new demands with an authentic and contemporary language. This is just the beginning. We have opened a shared path, which will involve producers, technicians, restaurateurs and communicators. Orvieto Doc can and must be a laboratory of innovation, capable of interpreting change with courage, responsibility and respect for its history.”
Orvieto Doc becomes a laboratory of innovation
With this breakthrough, the Consorzio Tutela Vini di Orvieto is positioning itself as a trailblazer in Italy for a low-alcohol denomination of origin, a theme that will be increasingly strategic in the coming years.
To accompany and deepen this evolution, the Consortium has also submitted an application for support to Masaf for a scientific research project, in collaboration with academia and experimental institutes. The goal is to start a multidisciplinary path that touches on oenological, agronomic, regulatory and communication aspects, in order to maximize the new potential of Orvieto Doc.
Source: Consorzio Tutela Vini di Orvieto
