How low can you go? Garda DOC may just have the answer

Partial dealcoholisation by natural means should be seen as ‘well governed’ innovation, preserving territorial identity, regulatory coherence and consumer trust, that’s the view of the Garda DOC Consortium which has just become the first Italian DOC to allow the production of low-alcohol wines directly within its production regulations. The body has adopted an innovative regulatory approach that means low-alcohol wines can be badged as either PDO or PGI and retain the quality practices that these designations guarantee. The matter was discussed at a forum that brought together journalists, academics and international opinion makers to explore and illustrate the role that lower-alcohol wines and new consumption trends could play in the region's present and future development. Rob Bellinger reports.