Colline Pescaresi IGT is one of several IGT titles used in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It was created in 1995, when the IGT category was first rolled out throughout the country, and covers the Pescara province. It is complemented by Abruzzo's two other provincial IGT titles – Terre di Chieti and Colli Aprutini – which cover the neighboring Chieti and Teramo provinces respectively.
One would be forgiven for assuming that Colline Pescaresi (which means 'hills of Pescara') might indicate a particularly hilly area of Pescara. In reality, however, it covers the province in its entirety. There is good justification for this, as most of Pescara's 1,225-square-kilometer (472-square-mile) area is officially classified as either collinare (hilly) or montuoso (mountainous).
© Frances Reeve
According to the liberal stylistic regulations that characterize the IGT category as a whole, Colline Pescaresi IGT wines can theoretically be anything from sparkling whites to fruity rosés and sweet reds. In reality, however, the majority are dry table wines made from just a handful of classic grape varieties – those already established in the region, and those likely to be well received by consumers. As such, Chardonnay, Trebbiano and Pecorino make up the majority of white wines made here, while the reds are predominantly based on Montepulciano and Bordeaux varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Chardonnay, Trebbiano and Pecorino are natural inclusions in the white-wine portfolio of any IGT title in Abruzzo. Chardonnay is not only internationally popular and profitable, but also grows relatively well in the local climate and so provides a relatively safe investment for winegrowers. Trebbiano and Pecorino have been significant in the local wines and vineyards for centuries. Trebbiano, along with Bombino Bianco, is the mainstay variety behind Trebbiano d'Abruzzo wines. Pecorino has a reputation as a good all-rounder and has been popularly adopted in IGT winemaking in various parts of central-eastern Italy.
The Colline Pescaresi IGT's disciplinare di produzione (the document laying out which wine styles can be made and those that can't) sanctions the production of single-variety wines from a relatively wide range of grapes. After all, the underlying ethos of the IGT category is one of freedom, not restriction – it was introduced to give winemakers an alternative to DOC laws and the tradition-bound constraints they impose.
The portfolio of styles permitted under the Colline Pescaresi title includes more than 20 white-wine varieties and roughly 15 red-wine varieties. Local, central-Italian classics such as Passerina, Fiano and Ciliegiolo are represented, alongside the likes of internationally popular Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
