The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine:

• Denominazione di origine (DO, rarely used; pronounced [denominatˈtsjoːne di oˈriːdʒine]; English: “designation of origin”),
• Indicazione geografica tipica (IGT; [indikatˈtsjoːne dʒeoˈɡraːfika ˈtiːpika]; “indication of geographical typicality”),
• Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC; [denominatˈtsjoːne di oˈriːdʒine kontrolˈlaːta]; “controlled designation of origin”), and
• Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG; [denominatˈtsjoːne di oˈriːdʒine kontrolˈlaːta ɛ ɡaranˈtiːta]; “controlled and guaranteed designation of origin”).

The system was introduced in 1963 shortly after the Treaty of Rome established Italy as a founding member of the European Economic Community, and was modelled on the extant French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) laws. It was overhauled in 1992 to match new European Union law on Protected Designation of Origin, introducing the more general Denominazione di Origine Protetta (DOP) designation for foods and agricultural products, including wines. Further EU reforms to harmonise agricultural policy in 2008 meant that designations used in member states, and thus Italian designations, were registered with the EU by the end of 2011, with subsequent new denominations or elevations approved by the EU.