The Colli di Conegliano are the hills which spread westwards (and briefly eastwards) from the town of Conegliano in Veneto, north-eastern Italy.
In wine circles Conegliano is usually associated with its sparkling Prosecco wines, or the local oenology college (which ranks among Italy's finest). The Colli di Coneglaino DOCG title, however, is reserved uniquely for still wines, both red and white, the most respected of which are sweet wines made in passito style.
The DOCG's default wine is a dry white based on Manzoni Bianco with either Pinot Bianco or Chardonnay (or both). A hint of Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling is also permitted (limited to a combined maximum of 10%). The red wines (much less common) are based on the Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
The most interesting wines made under this title are, however, the sweet passito wines. First of these is sweet, red Colli di Conegliano Refrontolo Passito, a dried-grape wine based almost exclusively on Marzemino. This is complemented by white Torchiato di Fregona, which is made from air-dried Prosecco, Verdiso and Boschera grapes.
The Colli di Conegliano hills themselves are limited in the west by the course of the Piave river, which later flows through the Piave viticultural area nearer to the Adriatic coast. On the other side of the river are the Montello and Colli Asolani hills (where the Montello e Colli Asolani DOC reigns), slightly higher and given over more to forestry, tourism and private villas rather than vineyards.
