“No-Lo” Trend: some are even deciding to change the regulations, with Orvieto DOC at 10% ABV

“No-Lo” wines (no or low alcohol content) have become much more than just an emerging trend. The demands are growing for low-alcohol wines in the younger, more health-conscious consumer base, and now the Protection Consortiums are also moving to meet market demands, alongside individual wineries. Orvieto DOC has announced a historic milestone. That is, starting today, it will be possible to produce Orvieto DOC at a minimum alcohol content of 10%, thanks to the definitive approval of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty’s new regulations. This breakthrough has positioned the protection consortium, Consorzio Tutela Vini di Orvieto as a trailblazer in Italy for low-alcohol designation of origin, a topic that will become more and more strategic over the next few years. The Consortium has also launched a multidisciplinary research project including oenological, agronomic, regulatory, and communications aspects. The goal is to look to the future while maintaining its historic identity, and choosing to complement its more structured and traditional wines in fresher, lighter, and more contemporary versions.
This new opportunity is a concrete response to changing climate, consumption, and markets. The initiative was created in the context of a temporary modification of the Regulations, introduced to address changes in weather conditions for the 2024 harvest, and was seen as an opportunity to renew and enhance the identity of the Orvieto DOC denomination. The modification has been published in the Official Journal of the Italian Republic (No. 111 dated May 15, 2025) and is awaiting the final formal approval at the European Union level, which will confirm its full force and effect. It is no longer simply a technical experiment. The first two low-alcohol wines (2024 vintage) - 10% and 10.5% - were produced by two Consortium members, are currently on the market and production will continue in the 2025 harvest. It is a sign that the project has already yielded tangible results, in quality and commercially.
The technical project for the first two wines was led by three key figures in Orvieto and National winemaking, Pier Paolo Chiasso (Chiasso Cotarella), Paolo Nardo (Gruppo Italiano Vini), and Massimiliano Pasquini (Castello della Sala - Marchesi Antinori), in collaboration with producer Enzo Barbi (Decugnano dei Barbi), a longtime promoter of the DOC and a key figure in the Region’s renewal. The group of winemakers recently presented the new samples to the membership of the Consorzio Tutela Vini di Orvieto, aiming to demonstrate that a contingent need can be translated into a concrete opportunity. The initiative, in addition to demonstrating a significant team spirit within the Denomination, has brought to light two wines that have surprising profiles as they are original, combining innovation and stylistic coherence, which open up new perspectives. “Climate adaptation gives rise to a beneficial idea. Due to modification to the Regulations and the actual release of the first low-alcohol Orvieto DOC wines, we are offering the market a real response; that is, more modern, lighter wines, yet deeply rooted in our territory”, Vincenzo Cecci, President of the Orvieto DOC Consortium, commented. “This result proves that wine can retain its identity and quality even at a lower alcohol content”, Riccardo Cotarella, President of the Technical Scientific Commission, stated. “We are the first in Italy to take this step in the DOC sector, and we are doing so consistent with technical awareness”. “We are taking an important step for Orvieto, today, a step that is looking forward but at the same time, maintaining its roots”, the three winemakers, Paolo Nardo, Massimiliano Pasquini, and Pier Paolo Chiasso, explained. “This new 10% ABV typology has been created by attentively listening to the signals coming from the land, the climate, and consumers. We live in an era in which freshness, drinkability, and lightness are more and more in demand, but never sacrificing quality and identity. We have worked to create an Orvieto wine that expresses the richness of our grapes and our terroir, in a more modern and versatile version. It is not about replacing Orvieto Classico or Superiore, but rather it is about adding a new option, designed for young people, for summer bars, for aperitifs, and for those seeking balanced, easy-drinking wines that have a personality. It is a technical and cultural challenge: maintaining elegance, structure, and flavor in a wine at just 10% alcohol content. To achieve this goal, we have implemented experiments at each stage of production, from grape selection to early harvesting, to vinification using selected yeasts and low temperatures. The result is a wine lower in alcohol content, yet rich in quality, ready to speak to the market and the new needs in a genuine and contemporary language. This is just the beginning. We have launched a shared path that will involve producers, technicians, restaurateurs, and communicators. Orvieto DOC is and must be a laboratory of innovation, capable of making courageous changes, taking responsibility, and respecting its history”.
To continue and advance this evolution, the Consortium has also submitted an application to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, MASAF, requesting support to implement a scientific research project, in collaboration with the academic world and experimental institutes. The goal is to launch a multidisciplinary path that includes oenological, agronomic, regulatory, and communication aspects, in order to maximize the new potential of Orvieto DOC.