Colline Saluzzesi is a DOC, created in 1996, covering red wines made in the hills around Saluzzo in western Piedmont. Here in the very north-western corners of Italy, the geography is impressive, sweeping dramatically upwards from the Po river basin into the heart of the Western Alps.
Standard Colline Saluzzesi Rosso is based on a blend of the popular, prestigious red Nebbiolo and Barbera varieties, and three lesser-known Piedmontese oddities, Quagliano, Pelaverga and Chatus (Neyret). None of these are individually mandatory in the blend, but at least 60% of any Colline Saluzzesi Rosso wine must be made from one or more of these grapes. The DOC laws allow each of the varieties to be made into a varietal wine, provided that the variety named on the label constitutes at least 85% of the final blend. Sparkling Qualgliano Spumante wines are also made under the title.
The slightly obscure nature of the grapes used to make wines here confirms that Saluzzo does not fit into the mainstream of Piedmontese winemaking, either geographically or oenologically. In fact, the presence of Barbera is all that would indicate to most in the wine world that this DOC might be found in Piedmont. Saluzzo lies a full 40 miles (65km) from Asti, a distance compounded by the change in landscape from rolling hills to the vast Saluzzo Plain.
The town itself sits at the foot of the Cottian Alps, just below the source of the mighty Po river. The Po's alpine waters pass just north of Saluzzo, bisecting northern Italy as it flows east hundreds of miles before reaching the Adriatic Sea between Emilia-Romagna and Veneto.
Due to its location Saluzzo was once a key strategic position in the attack and defense of Piedmont, and became the subject of various power struggles during the Middle Ages. In the 1480s it was the site of an extraordinary engineering project, as Ludovico II (Marquis of Saluzzo) had the Monte Viso tunnel dug straight through the alpine rock. The tunnel was used to transport goods (possibly including wine) between Italy and France, and later by Ludovico to escape French invaders in 1486.
In the 16th century, Saluzzo was controlled by France and was known as Saluces, although there is no known connection between Saluzzo and the Lur-Saluces family of Sauternes, long-standing owners of the famous Chateau d'Yquem. The town's importance earned it various literary mentions throughout the ages, and it was even used as the setting for The Clerk's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer.
