Vini D’Italia

Colorful poster map of the federally controlled wine regions of Italy.

Despite the informal tone of this pictorial map of Italy, the content is taken quite seriously. The Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) is a classification of wine regulated by Italian law. DOC wines (there are over 300 total) must follow certain parameters regarding production area, color, grape varieties, alcohol content and growing techniques.

There are dozens of different DOC wines listed in the scrollwork labels of this map, issued by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Trade. Bright colors are used to differentiate the various growing regions, which are also strictly enforced. That’s where the seriousness ends. Humorous elements in the form of a tipsy mermaid, desperate swimmer and funny blue characters engaged in a variety of shenanigans show that Italian wine isn’t to be taken too seriously.