Colli Berici - Merlot

Wine has been made in Veneto since time immemorial. Especially the fertile volcanic and calcareous soils along the foot of the Alps were early on as the origin of high-quality wines. In the surrounding plain, simple wines were made for local consumption. Today, as the largest wine region after Sicily and Apulia, Veneto accounts for the largest amount of DOP wines in Italy. One of the most famous is Valpolicella, with its famous Ripasso and Amarone, made from partly dried grapes. Beautiful white wines come from Soave, mainly from the garganega grape. A rather unknown gem is the DO Colli Berici!

The Colli Berici DOC is located near Vicenza, east of the more famous appellations of origin Valpolicella and Soave, this hilly region, which rises to 267 meters high, has a wine past. Among other things, grape seeds have been found that date back to the Paleolithic. Centuries later, documents from the 12th century proved that viticulture was flourishing there too. And the construction of the magnificent Palladian villas were a sign that the wealthy Venetian bourgeoisie enjoyed themselves there.

The region is located just a few kilometers southeast of the Soave hills, in the southern part of the province of Vicenza, but despite this proximity it is completely different from the Soave Classico. The Colli Berici, separated by the Pre-Alps, have half the annual rainfall and average temperatures higher than those in the Soave Classico area. In the landscape we see forests that go from the plain towards the plateaus, on which most of the vineyards are located and form a kind of fragmented plots with various slopes, heights and locations. Besides the fact that these forests provide more freshness in the warm summer months, they also provide greater biodiversity.