Since May 11, 2010, the "Riserva" specification, indicating wines of longer than average fining, may only be printed on the labels of still and sparkling wines which meet stringent legal criteria. Specifically, traditional method bottle-fermented sparkling wines, must now mature on the lees for a minimum of three years, while for sparkling wines fermented in large vessels, such as those produced with the Charmat method, the minimum maturation term is one year.

The most significant change introduced by the new regulations is that it is now forbidden to call "Riserva" all sparkling wines produced outside the production rules and controls of a controlled origin denomination (DOC).

The new rules are laid out in article 6 of legislative decree No. 61 of 8 April 2010, officially published on April 8 and effective since May 11.