(Wine-searcher) - DOCG should mean better quality than DOC wine but it ain't necessarily so, Tom Hyland discovers.

What’s the best way to learn about the remarkably diverse subject of Italian wines? As someone that has written and lectured about these products for more than 20 years, I'd like to pass along some advice. Study the grape types, the production zones and the finest producers, and of course, taste enough bottles. But please, don't take much time worrying about whether a wine is DOC or DOCG, as you won't get a true picture of what Italian wines are all about.

I say that because the foundation of these regulations for classifying wines, while basically a good idea, has become a marketing tool that has uncertain ties to quality. The sound bite – DOCG wines are the best wines of Italy – is in reality, far from the truth.