The mention Piedmont appears on the labels of the DOP Roero and Alta Langa.

The mention Piedmont will appear on the labels of DOP Roero and Alta Langa. These are the changes to the product rules

The goal is to approve 60 regional designations by the fall. Likely market introduction in 2026.

The Piedmont region had recently announced it at Vinitaly: the agri-food sector will have its own promotional brand that includes wine products. Part of the wine sector has already reacted and given the green light to the new direction. Two protection consortia, Roero Docg and Alta Langa Docg (among others, Piedmont's Wine of the Year 2025), were the first to approve the amendment to the production regulations, creating the possibility of including the broader "Piedmont" geographical indication on the label. The green light was given unanimously at members' meetings in recent days and " other designations will follow soon," according to the regional Department of Agriculture.

The goal is to include Piedmont among the 60 regional appellations

Meetings of numerous other wine consortia are already on the agenda, explains Alderman Paolo Bongioanni, and the goal is to approve "by early summer the change for all 60 appellations of Piedmont origin." A "victory" the alderman has been working for since the beginning of his term. However, only the term Piedmont may appear on the labels and not the promotional brand name "Eccellenza Piemonte - Piedmont Is."

Indeed, European legislation prohibits the use of brands or similar logos on wine labels, but does allow a broader geographical indication, which identifies DOC and DOCG wines produced in a clearly defined area with fixed boundaries, such as a region. "Our 19 DOCGs and 41 DOCs," Bongioanni said, "will become ambassadors of the Piedmont name, making it instantly recognizable and associating wine and territory in a positive spiral full of opportunities."

The possible introduction from the 2026 harvest

The new additional designation "Piedmont" is voluntary and not mandatory. Technically, the term will appear on the labels of wines under the designation of origin (for example: Roero Docg/Arneis), under any cru, and may not be printed in letters larger than those of DOCG or DOC mention.

In terms of timing, once the changes to all regulations are approved and collected, the approval of the Comitato nazionale vini del Masaf (National Committee for Wines of Masaf) should be awaited. The Piedmont region assumes that the green light can be given "as early as this fall with a ministerial decree." Thus, the first labels with the term "Piedmont" will presumably be those of the 2026 harvest.

Currently, the protection authorities are studying the possibility of applying the rule retroactively to wines that have already been produced but not yet bottled and are currently aging in the cellar, in accordance with the various product rules, such as those for Barolo and Barbaresco and the higher quality designations.

Source: Gambero Rosso - Journalist Gianluca Atzeni