Legal · UK GDPR & Data Protection Act 2018

Privacy Policy

A plain-English account of what we collect, why we collect it, and how to ask us to stop.

27 April 2026Last updated 1 May 2026Effective ≈ 6 minutesReading time
In short

We don't collect what we don't need.

Personal data is processed for editorial, support, and analytics purposes only. We don't sell or rent it to anyone.

Cookies

Strictly necessary by default.

Analytics cookies only fire if you opt in via your browser's consent settings. You can change your mind any time.

Your rights

Access, correct, or delete.

Email [email protected] and we'll respond within 30 days.

Scope and who we are

Italian Wines is an independent editorial site about Italian wine, run by a small UK-based team. By accessing or using this website, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

This site does not currently sit behind a registered company. If and when a new operating entity is formed, this section will be updated to name the data controller and registered address.

Responsible drinking

You must be of legal drinking age in your country (18 or over in the UK) to use this website. If you are not, please leave. We do not knowingly tailor content or marketing to anyone under the legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly and in moderation.

A note on accuracy We work hard to keep classification, vintage, and ABV details correct, but the wine catalogue updates daily. Always verify on the retailer's own page before you buy.

What we collect

We try to collect as little as possible. The categories below cover everything we currently process:

  • Newsletter data, if you sign up: email address and any preferences you tell us about (regions, grape styles).
  • Contact-form data: name, email, the topic you chose, optional company or outlet, preferred language, and the body of your message.
  • Usage data: IP-derived country, device class, pages viewed, and referrer. Aggregated by Google Analytics 4.
  • Cookie identifiers: see the cookies table below.

Each category of data has a stated lawful basis under Article 6 of the UK GDPR:

  • Consent: newsletter subscriptions, analytics cookies.
  • Legitimate interests: preventing abuse of the site, securing our infrastructure, and aggregated traffic measurement. You can object at any time.
  • Legal obligation: responding to lawful requests from regulators or law enforcement.

Cookies and tracking

The site uses a small set of cookies. Strictly-necessary cookies are always on; analytics cookies only fire after you accept them in your browser's consent settings.

Cookie Category Purpose Lifetime
ci_session Essential Carries your session between requests so forms (such as the contact form) work. Session
_ga Analytics Google Analytics 4: anonymised page-view and session counts. 13 months
_ga_* Analytics Google Analytics 4: per-property session identifier. 13 months

Who we share with

We share personal data only with the small number of processors needed to keep the site online:

  • Google: Tag Manager and Analytics 4 (consent-only; anonymised page-view and session data).
  • Gmail SMTP: transactional email when you submit the contact form.
  • Cloud hosting and CDN providers: keep the site reachable and protect against abuse.

We do not sell or rent personal data. Any international transfers (for example, to Google's US infrastructure) are made under standard data-protection safeguards available to UK businesses.

How long we keep it

  • Newsletter data: until you unsubscribe. We keep your email address on a short suppression list afterwards so we honour your opt-out.
  • Contact-form messages: 24 months after our last reply, then deleted.
  • Aggregated analytics: per Google's GA4 default retention (14 months at the time of writing).

Your rights

Under the UK GDPR you have the right to: access your data, request correction, request erasure (the "right to be forgotten"), restrict processing, object to processing, request data portability, and withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these, email [email protected] and we will respond within 30 calendar days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) if you believe we have mishandled your data.

Security

Traffic to and from the site is encrypted in transit via TLS. Any administrative passwords are stored as hashes, not plaintext. We review dependencies and infrastructure periodically and will notify affected users without delay if we ever discover a qualifying personal-data breach.

Children and legal age

This site is not intended for anyone under the legal drinking age. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If you believe a minor has submitted personal data through the site, please contact us so we can delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may modify, add, or remove portions of this policy. Material changes will be flagged on this page. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.

Contact us

For any privacy-related question or request, email [email protected].

Questions about this policy? We're happy to walk you through it, or change it where it can be clearer.

Contact us