THE REGULATIONS

D.O.C. Cortona – Controlled Place of Origin Cortona

Art. 5. Vinification Regulations

5.1 – Area of Vinification and Bottling
The vinification process includes obligatory ageing, drying of grapes and obligatory maturation in bottles, and the bottling process must be carried out on the administrative territory of the municipality of Cortona.  Nevertheless, it is permitted that the afore-mentioned vinification and bottling operations be carried out in cellars that do not pertain to the area of production of the grapes, however, not more that 2 km as the crow flies from the border of same and relevant to vine growers permitted to produce wine as mentioned in Art. 1 above.  A derogation allows the vinification and bottling operations to be carried out in cellars out of the area of production, provided it is in the Provinces of Arezzo and Siena, if wine is produced with grapes in the area of production as mentioned in Art.3 above, prior to the coming into force of the present Regulations.  This derogation is granted by the Ministry of Agricultural Policies - national Committee for the protection and valorisation of the controlled place of origin and the typical geographic indications of the wines - advised to the interested region and communicated to the fraud protection Inspectorate and the Chamber of Commerce I.A.A.

5.2 – Production of various typologies from the same vineyard
Should the grapes of a determined vineyard be used for the production of different typologies, as foreseen in Art. 1 above, it is allowed to assign a part of the grapes of the said vineyard for the production of specific typologies, provided that all requisites imposed in the present Regulations are respected, both for the grapes destined separately for a given typology and for the remaining grapes of the same vineyard destined for another typology.

5.3 - Corrections
The enrichment of musts and wines is allowed, as per Art. 1 above, within the limits of established European regulations, with concentrated musts, or with rectified concentrated musts, with crystallisation or reverse osmosis.

5.4 - Processing
The different typologies explained in Art. 1 above must be processed in conformity with European regulations.  The Rosato typology must be obtained with vinification in rosato of red grapes.  The Vin Santo typology must be obtained with the drying of selected grapes and left to dry in ideal places until they reach a sugar content level of 28% for wine from controlled place of origin (DOC) Cortona Vin Santo and Cortona Vin Santo Riserva and 35% for wine from controlled place of origin (DOC) Cortona Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice.  The grapes cannot be musted prior to the 15th December of the year of harvest for Cortona Vin Santo Riserva, and 28th February of the following year for Cortona Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice.  The grapes, after the minimum period of drying, have to be musted, however, not beyond 30th April of the following year and that of the harvesting of the grapes.  Partial dehydration with ventilated air is allowed.

5.5 - Yield grape/wine and wine/hectare
The maximum yield of the grapes, including the eventual added correction and the maximum production of wine per hectare, is as follows :

Maximum production of wine refers to grapes having the right degree of maturation and wine which has reached its third year of ageing.  In the case of a grape/wine yield which surpasses the above mentioned limits, but not 70% for white typologies and 75% for red or rosé typologies and 38% for Vin Santo typologies, even if the production per hectare is lower than the maximum consented, the excess does not have the right for controlled place of origin (DOC).  Beyond the said limits, it looses the right of controlled place of origin (DOC) for the whole batch.

5.6 – Introduction on the Market
For the following wines, the introduction on the market is only allowed from the date of each of them, as listed below :

The introduction on the market of Cortona Vin Santo typology can take place only after an obligatory ageing period of at least three years, of which at least three months refinement in bottles as from the 15th December of the year of production of the grapes.  Market introduction of Cortona Vin Santo Riserva typology can take place only after a period of obligatory ageing of at least five years, of which at least six months refinement in bottles to start from the 15th December of the year of production of the grapes.  Market introduction of Cortona Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice typology can take place only after an obligatory ageing period of at least 8 years, of which at least six months refinement in bottles to start from the 28th February after that of the production of the grapes.

5.7 - Ageing
The conservation and ageing of Vin Santo typologies have to be carried out in wooden containers which should not surpass a capacity of 100 litres for Cortona Vin Santo and Cortona Vin Santo Riserva, and in small barrels of not more than 75 litres for Cortona Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice.