Falstaff: Grandi Rossi Veneti Trophy: 91 Points to Cantina Colli Euganei‘s Notte di Galileo and 90 Points to Merlot Rialto.
Made from grapes from selected wineries in the DOC area of the Euganean Hills that participate in the Quality Project, launched by Cantina Colli Euganei in 1998.
The project aims to promote the traditional nature of the area and the grape varieties used to make Colli Euganei Riserva.
The grapes are left to ripen until the optimum harvesting time while checking their condition, sugar content and other important substances. Then the vinification process, carried out by the winemaker, highlights the characteristics of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes through prolonged contact between the must and the skins at a controlled temperature so that all substances can be fully released. After fermentation, the wine is stored in fine oak barrels for 15-18 months so that it can fully age and acquire fragrances and smoothness. Maturation is completed in bottles to give the wine an excellent taste.
The presence of marine fossils in the territory of the Euganean Hills testifies their origin: an archipelago of volcanic islands that emerged 130 million years ago.
The decisive reliefs separated by fresh valleys, the suitable sun exposure and the. mixing of the alluvial deposits with the disintegrated volcanic rocks, they determine intense qualitative characteristics in the grapes.
These peculiarities give the red wines the color and strength they draw from the land, as well as intensity of smell and taste.
Cantina Colli Euganei was born at the center of this tradition. Their history is intertwined with that of the territory, which was the protagonist, since the 1940s, of a reconstruction and a revival based on the enhancement of the wine heritage. The common objective was to arrive at the definition of a Denomination of Origin, with a ‘variety’ approach.
The cooperative, which was born in ’49 and vinified for the first time in ’51, has always been in tune with this choice: offering a diverse range of wines with an authentic identity, an expression of a land and a culture.
Thanks to the expertise of capable and technically prepared men, Cantina Colli Euganei has managed to maintain this spirit until today, knowing how to listen to the evolution of taste and expectations of those who appreciate wine in the world.
Today, as a cooperative, Cantina Colli Euganei brings together about 680 winemakers, spread over the protected area of the Euganean Hills Nature Reserve.
The winery is situated in the heart of the Veneto region, in the middle of an area that has been dedicated to vine and olive tree growing since ancient times. Today, it is acknowledged by the latest regulations of 2010 as a DOC and DOCG area.
The grapes are grown on the farms of the municipalities of Vo’, Rovolon, Torreglia, Galzignano Terme, Lozzo Atestino, Cinto Euganeo, Arquà Petrarca, Este, Baone, comprising 700 hectares of rows of vines and providing an opportunity to best enhance the character of various wines: from fragrant white wines sweetened by the sun to more intense velvety red wines.
The northern slopes give rise to Serprino wines with their young and bubbly character, enriched with hints of flowers and fruit. The areas most exposed to the sun highlight the balanced sweetness of Fior d’Arancio DOCG, whereas the soils to the south provide full-bodied and intense red wines.
This varied morphological landscape, offering soils with different nutrients, is the perfect habitat for highly prestigious native grape varieties such as Serprina, Moscato Giallo, Moscato Bianco and Pinella, as well as international varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
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