Italy was love at first sight and first taste for us, which goes for food and wine.  Being Californians, we’re surrounded by a variety of wines available locally at stores and wineries.  However, on our European
travels, we discovered there’s so much more out there. In Italy, there seems to be an endless variety of wines we rarely or never see available here in the US. In talking to friends who also love travel and wine, they felt the same disappointment in the selection at the big box or local wine stores.  As we knew we weren’t alone we set out to solve this problem for ourselves and others. 

We also love fun!  We love Renaissance Fairs, Masquerade Balls, or any opportunity where grown-ups get to play, be immersed in frivolity, and escape the everyday, thus Masquerade Cellars was born.  If you’re looking for something new you haven’t tried before or searching for something like that red you had on vacation or at your favorite Italian eatery look no further. We’ll bring you the beautiful wines of Italy that sweep you up in a myriad of unforgettable flavors. These wines will transport you to the Masquerade!   

A  Word About Wine Classification

Here’s a little context for why you likely don’t see as many Italian wine offerings as you do French at your local wine purveyor in the US.  France began a classification system for their wines in Bordeaux more than 100 years before Italy was a unified country. This eventually gave birth to the Appelation d’ Origine Controlee (AOC), which the French use today.  Most other European countries have built their wine classification systems on similar principles.   Italy’s version of this is the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC).

The DOC was introduced in 1963 in Italy to classify wine into regulated categories. Beginning at the bottom we have Vino da Tavola (VdT), table wine, which is the least regulated.  VdT grapes can come from anywhere and do not usually contain a vintage or a variety nor are there many restrictions on how it is made.  Initially, the next classification was Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) as the name implies the standards become more exacting; prescribing which grapes, what methods, how much alcohol and the list goes on.  At the top you have Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita with stipulations so exacting no wines met the criteria for more than 20 years from when the category was first conceived.
That said without those who were willing to buck the system there would be no Sassicaia, Solaia and so many others.  When these wines
were initially produced, despite their superiority they were labeled as VdT, because they didn’t fit the DOC mold. The system has evolved to include Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT or IGP) added in 1992. IGT/IGP classifies wines of great quality and character that color outside the lines.  As there are excellent IGT, DOC and DOCG choices we aim to bring you what is delicious in each category.