Montello Rosso was added to Italy's ever-expanding list of wine denominations in October 2011, during a period of feverish wine-administration activity as the country prepared to hand its wine-classification powers over to the European Union. This relatively new DOCG title covers the top-quality red Cabernet- and Merlot-based wines formerly sold under the Montello e Colli Asolani DOC title.
The typical Montello Rosso wine is a blend of between 40% and 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by varying proportions of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and even Carmenere. Except for the inclusion of Carmenere (which has rarely been seen in Bordeaux vineyards since the phylloxera crisis of the 1860s), this is a classic Bordeaux blend. This is particularly interesting as the Montello viticultural area happens to lie on precisely the same latitude (45°N) as Bordeaux's Medoc district. Latitude and grape varieties aside, however, the two areas could hardly be more different; Bordeaux sits on the Atlantic coast, more than 100 miles from the nearest mountain, while the Montello hill lies within sight of peaks rising to around 3000m (9850ft).
The Montello title covers a small area in the Treviso province of Veneto, north-eastern Italy. All vineyards in the villages of Castelcucco, Cornuda and Monfumo are covered, as are selected areas of 16 adjacent villages. The Montello (Italian for 'little hill') cited in the title is a lozenge-shaped hill about an hour's drive north of Venice. It rises roughly 1000ft (300m) above the low-lying land to the south, and measures eight miles (13km) from end to end. The hill, which effectively marks the transition from the Venetian Plain to the Dolomite Alps, causes the Adige River to change its south-easterly course for several miles. Although not very high, the hill offers uninterrupted views across the plains toward Venice, the Venetian Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea on the horizon.
A few miles west of the Montello hill lies the town of Asolo, and the Colli Asolani hills which bear its name. Although the vineyards there are permitted to produce red Montello wines, they are known particularly for their sparkling Prosecco, the finest of which claim the Asolo Prosecco DOCG title. Both Montello and the Colli Asolani are covered by the less-specialized Montello e Colli Asolani DOC title, which is restricted to neither sparkling wines nor red wines.
The Montello e Colli Asolani DOC was introduced in 1977, and was revised several times before 2011. Most of the revisions served to modernize the wine styles sold under the appellation and bring them into line with the ever-increasing consumer demand for single-variety wines. The traditional, blended rosso styles remained, but were joined by a host of less-traditional varietal wines. Rather than confuse the traditional blended style with the modern styles, the local winemakers and lawmakers opted to create a separate DOC for the red wines. This was approved, and finalized in 2011 with the introduction of the Montello Rosso DOCG title.
