Sussex gets PDO status

The wine region of Sussex, south of London, has gained PDO status similar to the French Appellation Controlee or Italian DOC.

With 49 commercial wineries in Sussex including leaders such as Ridgeview, Bolney and Nyetimber, the new Sussex PDO is a higher designation than PGI.

In Europe there are two levels of wines. Protected geographical indicators PGI, such as IGP in France and IGT in italy. The PDO designation is the higher level and is called AOC and DOC/DOCG in Italy. Typically a PGI is similar to Geographical Indicators in the New World such as American AVA or Australian GI and the focus is about ensuring the wine comes from a specific location. PDO wines typically have many more restrictions and include limits on grape varieties, wine making and viticultural practices.