Two denominations, two ways of renewing Italian wine identity
There is a way to respond to market pressure that does not rely on big slogans, but on concrete choices: an updated production rule, a formal name for an existing style, a more precise reading of place. That is what is happening in two Italian denominations, Morellino di Scansano in Tuscany and Valpolicella in Veneto. This is not a broader reset for Italian wine as a whole, but a pair of case studies showing how some areas are working on identity through rules and vineyard definition.
The backdrop remains one of pressure across European wine. Consumption has kept falling over the past decade, while international trade has settled after the peaks reached in the early 2020s. In that context, competitiveness is not only about numbers: it is also about whether denominations can present themselves in a clearer, more legible way without losing complexity.
Morellino di Scansano: naming what was already there
In the case of the Consorzio Tutela Morellino di Scansano, the most immediate change is the full operational status of the Superiore type. This is not a new wine, but the formal recognition of a category that several producers were already interpreting and communicating. The move helps tidy up the range, placing Superiore between Annata and Riserva and giving it a clearer profile in the market.
Alongside that, the consortium is developing a project based on territorial macro-areas designed to make the denomination’s internal differences easier to read. The aim is not to create a rigid zoning system, but to offer another tool for telling the story of a large and varied territory, from the areas closer to the coast to those further inland. At a time when many denominations are looking for better ways to explain themselves, this kind of work can help shift the conversation from brand to place.
Valpolicella: freshness as a way of reading the appellation
In Valpolicella, the movement is different, but the question is similar: how can identities that are now at risk of overlapping be distinguished more clearly? Some producers are reviving a more territorial reading of the Valpolicella Superiore type, focusing on fresh grapes and hillside vineyards. The point is not to deny the central role of appassimento, which remains a key part of the zone’s history, but to create a clearer space for wines that aim to express freshness, tension and immediacy.
It is a choice that speaks to style, but also to positioning. When a denomination contains very different interpretations under the same name, the message can become blurred. Returning to a more precise definition of vineyard and grape use can help make the category easier to read, especially for drinkers looking for wines that are less driven by concentration and closer to the character of the territory.
In both cases, the point is not to announce a new direction for the whole sector, but to observe two moves heading in the same direction: giving the denomination more clarity, reducing ambiguity and letting place carry more weight than a generic idea of style. It is slow, technical, often unglamorous work. But that is exactly why it says something useful about a phase in which wine identity is being shaped not just in communication, but in the rules that come before it.
