The wines obtained from grapes sourced from a particular, specific vineyard that has grown in a determined area, capable of producing a particularly excellent wine, are defined as a Cru vineyard when the climate, soil, and other factors, both natural and not, give the wine unique and specific characteristics, different from those found in other wines produced in nearby areas.

In France, in the Champagne region, a mono-cru wine is made with grapes from a specific village, while in Alsace and Burgundy, the wine made from a single cru is produced with grapes from a precise vineyard, which gives the wine its name and is written on the label.

And in Italy, does it make sense to talk about a cru? The answer is no. In Italy, unlike France, there is no law that defines a hierarchical classification of micro-territories in relation to the quality of vineyards, although in some regulations, the use of additional geographical mentions referring to micro-areas is allowed.

However, the closest analogy to the French cru is the geographical mention, which refers to the name of the municipality, fraction, or vineyard (in this case, the law also allows the addition of “vigna”) that is added to the denomination. Barolo is the most famous example.