Colli d'Imola is a DOC of the Emilia-Romagna wine region of northern Italy. It was created in July 1997, just one month before its eastern neighbor Colli di Faenza and six months after the coastal Colli di Rimini DOC further east. At that time there was a concerted effort to establish formal boundaries among the hilly vineyards of eastern Emilia-Romagna. Unlike many other DOCs in this area, the Colli d'Imola covers a relatively focused portfolio of wine styles. This is most likely aided by the fact that it lies outside Emilia-Romagna's key Lambrusco zone (found on the other side of Bologna, around Parma, Reggio and Modena).
Standard red and white Colli d'Imola Rosso and Colli d'Imola Bianco are the main wines made here. Peculiarly, there is almost no stipulation in the DOC law regarding the grapes from which these must be made. The document restricts them only to uve non aromatici, raccomandati e/o autorizzati per la provincia di Bologna; 'non-aromatic grapes recommended and/or authorized in the province of Bologna'.
The increasing demand among global wine consumers for varietally labeled wines has, in the past ten years, led to changes in the way Italian wines are managed. Most DOCs, including Colli d'Imola, are given the option of producing varietal wines. The two wines cited above are complemented by six varietal wines, made from Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Trebbiano and Pignoletto. Each of these grapes is required to constitute at least 85% of the wine bearing its name; the remaining 15% is left to the discretion of the winemaker.
The colli (hills) which give the DOC its title start rising from the Po valley floor at Imola town's western edge. The famously flat Po Plains are just 130ft (40m) high, but the hills quickly rise to a peak of almost 2500ft (765m). They form a central part of the Appennino settentrionale (northern Apennines), which run north-west to south-east through Emilia-Romagna and divide this region from Tuscany; the peaks and valleys provide a patchwork of terroir along the way. The eastern section of the hills between Bologna and the coast is less topographically dramatic than further west around the Colli Piacentini, and its climate is moderated by the nearby Adriatic Sea. The more stable terroir that results means this area is Emilia-Romagna's most viticulturally successful – it is home to half the region's DOCs and both its DOCGs (Albana di Romagna and Colli Bolognesi Classico Pignoletto).
