Colli dell'Etruria Centrale is one of the larger DOC viticultural areas in Italy's famous wine region of Tuscany. Awarded in 1990, this title covers precisely the same area as that of the region's most famous wine, Chianti, with all the Chianti sub-zones included (e.g. Montalbano, Rufina, Colli Senesi). This includes communes in the provinces of Arezzo, Firenze, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena, which corresponds to almost all of central Tuscany, except the smaller provinces of Lucca, Massa-Carrara, Livorno and Grosseto.
Etruria was the ancient name for what is now Tuscany (it also included parts of Emilia-Romagna, Lazio and Umbria), which was home to the Etruscans, one of the key founding tribes of the Italian peninsula. The use of the name here is clearly to distinguish the wines made under this title from those made as Chianti, from which they differ in several key ways.
The Colli dell'Etruria Centrale title was brought in to allow greater creative freedom among the region's winemakers. Rather than loosen up the Chianti production laws and risk diluting the Chianti style and brand, it was decided that an entirely new DOC was needed: one which would give Tuscany's winemakers the opportunity to adopt a forward-looking approach to wine without losing their region's wine traditions. As such, Colli dell'Etruria might be viewed as a little brother to Chianti, which is the same relationship between Carmignano and Barco Reale, and Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino.
In keeping with the founding principle of this new, modern DOC, a wide range of styles are produced under its name. Red, rose, white, dry, sweet and youthful-styled novello wines are covered by this catch-all title. The reds and roses are made from a 50% base of Sangiovese, and the whites a 50% Trebbiano Toscano base. This use of Tuscany's two most important grape varieties confirms their place in the region's winemaking traditions, and is complemented by the additional use of Canaiolo Nero. The modern element in these wines comes from the grape varieties used to make up the other 50% of the blends. These are such international (or rather, French) varieties as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Even Beaujolais' Gamay is used here, as a component in the vibrant red novello wines.
