Vino da Tavola is the Italian term for table wine, whose official meaning is a wine not classed as a Quality Wine, meaning a with with a DOC or DOCG denomination. Italy has a long tradition of vino da tavola (table wine), most often made from the estate’s poorest grapes. However, some of Italy’s greatest wines such as Sassicaia, used to be also vino da tavola too, for their innovative blends were beyond the scope and allowances of the established bureaucratic guidelines. So, at least in the past, a vino da tavola designation did not necessarily refer to a low-quality wine. To a lesser extent, this still holds true today, as producers who decide to make a particular kind of wine without following governmental guidelines for that specific wine’s production will not, consequently, benefit from the official appellation.

Source: Italian Wine Unplugged (Positive Press, 2017), p.24.