Toscana IGT wines represent a major slice of Tuscany’s wine industry, accounting for 27% of the region’s production and nearly €500 million in value. With such high stakes, maintaining a clear and consistent brand is a top priority for the Consorzio Vino Toscana, which has been under the leadership of Cesare Cecchi since 2022. The organization is now pushing for a legal overhaul to simplify labeling and reinforce the identity of Toscana IGT wines.

One major proposed change is the elimination of alternative spellings on wine labels. Currently, producers can label wines as either “Toscana” or “Toscano,” such as “Vino Rosso Toscano.” The new standard would require uniform usage of “Toscana IGT” followed by the wine type—such as “Rosso,” “Bianco,” or a specific grape variety like “Sangiovese.” According to Cecchi, the change will help consumers more easily identify wines from the region, reinforcing Toscana as a recognizable and trustworthy brand name across all price points.

Alongside this effort, the consortium has expanded the list of permitted grape varieties to 97, adding 10 new entries that include international grapes like Mourvedre and Marselan, as well as indigenous Tuscan varieties such as Nocchianello Nero and Bianco.

A push to regulate sparkling wine

In addition to label standardization, the Consorzio is working to formally recognize and regulate the production of Toscana IGT Spumante. While frizzante wines have been permitted, spumante—sparkling wine bottled under higher pressure—has not had a clear legal status within the Toscana IGT framework. Under the new proposal, producers will be allowed to make both traditional method and Martinotti method spumante wines.

Though currently a small segment—Toscana IGT Frizzante makes up only about 1.5% of total production—there is increasing interest in expanding sparkling wine offerings. Many Tuscan winemakers already produce spumante, sometimes using Sangiovese grapes, but often do so outside of Tuscany due to regulatory constraints. Cecchi explained that the new law will help unify practices and ensure that sparkling wines made in Tuscany adhere to consistent standards.

“This new law will regulate all the different spumante we produce in the area,” he said, noting that while Tuscany won’t match Prosecco in volume, the potential for high-quality regional sparkling wines is significant.

Protecting the Toscana brand

Brand protection is a central focus for the Consorzio’s current initiatives. As Toscana IGT wines continue to gain global attention—69% are exported—there is a growing need to prevent misuse of the name. In recent years, the organization has successfully challenged 33 trademark applications that could have diluted or misrepresented the Toscana brand, including names like “Tuscan Tree” in the UK, “Bella Toscana” in Brazil, and “Toscana Cordobesa” in Spain.

Cecchi emphasized that ensuring a clear link between the wine and its region of origin is critical to maintaining consumer trust and brand integrity. Whether a bottle retails for €5 or €500, the label should clearly communicate its Tuscan heritage.

“This is about making things easier for the consumer,” he said. “There are a lot of different wine styles within Toscana IGT, and what matters most is that the product is clearly tied to the region.”

Legal process and timeline

Implementing these changes requires navigating a multi-step legal process. So far, the majority of producers and regional associations have approved the proposals. The next steps involve gaining approval from Italy’s Ministry of Agriculture, followed by formal endorsement from the European Commission in Brussels.

Cecchi expressed hope that approval from Rome could come before the next harvest season, within about nine months. However, the timeline for Brussels remains uncertain. If passed in time, producers could begin crafting spumante wines under the new law—especially those using the metodo classico, which requires extended aging.

Despite the regulatory hurdles, Cecchi insisted that the goal is not to impose strict limitations on winemakers, but rather to empower them to innovate while ensuring brand consistency.

“DOC and DOCG wines are fantastic, but they come with rigid rules,” he said. “With IGT, we want to give producers the freedom to experiment and create new wine styles, just as the Super Tuscans did decades ago. But we also want to protect the value of the Toscana name.”

In short, the changes underway aim to balance tradition and innovation while making Toscana IGT wines more accessible and recognizable to consumers around the world.