The Colli Euganei DOC title is for wines from the hills which rise up from the Venetian plain just to the south-west of Padova. The hills' volcanic origin means their soils are rich in minerals and trace elements not found in other Venetian terroirs, and are particularly well suited to the production of wines with complex organoleptic profiles. By contrast, the neighboring Colli Berici hills are made up of carbonate soils and marine fossils from an ancient seabed.
The DOC was originally established in 1969, and was modified in December 2010 when its sweet, Muscat-based Fior d'Arancio wines were granted an appellation all of their own, and were promoted to DOCG status.
Like Breganze to the north, the Colli Euganei region is better known for its sweet wines than its dry wines. Breganze has its Torcolato; the Colli Euganei has its Fior d'Arancio. Nevertheless, Colli Euganei retains its own moscato style, although this is now exclusively made from Moscato Giallo and Moscato Bianco. In addition to this, the DOC's portfolio has expanded to cover more than 25 styles, including a standard blended bianco and rosso (white and red, with their corresponding foaming spumante and aged riserva forms) and no fewer than 15 varietal wines.
Red Bordeaux grapes Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc have a significant presence here, as they do across Veneto. Interestingly, erstwhile Bordeaux stalwart Carmenere is also present here, in its continuing popularity surge across north-eastern Italy. Such local varieties as Raboso, Tai and Serprino (the local name for the Prosecco grape) are also made into varietal wines here, as are the reliably marketable international favorites Chardonnay and Sauvignon.
