The Italian flag makes its debut on the DOC and DOCG seals

The Italian State seals ensure traceability, safety, and protect Made in Italy products against “Italian-sounding” labels. The Italian flag further provides an immediate visual of the product's origin, thereby protecting consumers and producers. The project presented at Vinitaly 2025 in Verona features the Italian flag on the State seals, which have been produced by the IPZS - Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca della Stato (State Printing and Mint Institute) for DOCG and DOC wines. The seals are ready and will be debuted on bottles of Prosecco DOC soon at the Zecca Museum in Rome. Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Chamber of Deputies, Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture, as well as the leaders of the Consortium for the Protection of Prosecco DOC will attend the event, “The Italian flag on the State seal of the most consumed Italian wine in the world”. The State seals also feature a new QR code, which allows you to scan the seal using a smartphone and access the “Digital Product Passport”. These new seals will protect against counterfeiting, thanks to advanced security techniques similar to those found on banknotes. They have been designed to help consumers recognize the authenticity of the product, which is very important, especially on foreign markets. “We have placed the seal featuring the symbol of the Italian State and the Italian tricolor flag on the bottles, under the direction of the Ministry of Agriculture, and in agreement with the supply chain. The new State seal for DOCG and DOC wines is a powerful anti-counterfeit tool and guarantees certified quality. Protecting our Made in Italy products signifies strengthening them”, Francesco Soro, at the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato explained. In 2024, the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (State Mint) produced 2.1 billion seals. The new feature on the State seal for DOCG and DOC wines has been presented for the first time, alongside the wine that is the driving force of Italian exports. The partnership originated from a mutual sponsorship of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Prosecco DOC the Official Sparkling Wine Sponsor, while IPZS is the manufacturer of the medals for the winning athletes. The Italian flag “tricolor” on the band will debut on the commemorative bottle of Prosecco DOC at the upcoming Winter Olympics (February 6th-22nd 2026). “We think”, Luca Giavi, Director of the Prosecco DOC Consortium explained to WineNews, “it is a great idea, and will help better identify Italian production. We have always supported State labels also on individual winery labels. Traceability and safety are essential, since cases of counterfeiting Prosecco DOC are unfortunately far too frequent”. The Italian flag will also help foreign markets, Giavi continued, “we are convinced of this”, adding that in 2025, especially to the US, exports “have been impacted by the considerable orders received in late 2024 and early 2025, as we grew about +8%, partly due to concerns about tariffs. We will necessarily have to wait until early next year for the data, though the signs are telling us that consumption is growing on the American market”.
The Italian flag will also be on the seals of DOCG wines, including Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. Franco Adami, president of the Consortium, told WineNews, “I really like the State seal band with the Italian flag. It communicates a sense of Italianness, while further promoting traceability, and it helps consumers understand what they are drinking. The DOCG label will stay the same, of course. The Italian flag appears on products all around the world that actually have nothing Italian about them. Therefore, putting it on wine is positive as it authenticates it even more. This innovation will bring great benefits”. Perhaps it will be beneficial also in this particular moment in history, where exports, due to tariffs and other factors, are slowing down compared to 2024. Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG, however, despite the current situation, is healthy and confident for the rest of the year, including in the USA. “It is” Adami continues, “the fifth market for us, counting almost four million bottles. Overall, we are satisfied. As of November 15th, Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG has grown +8% in quantity, though in value we're down -1.2%, but at this time of the year, producers normally resort to offering more discounts. We’ll take stock of the numbers in January. At the moment, we are very satisfied. We represent an icon in the Prosecco world, and Conegliano Valdobbiadene, a product that is accessible to everyone, attentive to the market and performing well even in such a challenging year”.