Colli Berici: a hidden gem in the Veneto region

Sitting amid the undulating Berici hills of the Veneto region, Consorzio Colli Berici e Vicenza produces balanced wines which reflect the unique landscape from which they are created.

The wines of the Consorzio Colli Berici e Vicenza are a tale of unexplored places.

The Consortium for the Protection of Berici Hills and Vicenza Wines has been at work since 2011 when its two individual consortium bodies — Consorzio Tutela Vini Colli Berici DOC and Consorzio Tutela Vini Vicenza DOC — came together. 

Since then the Consortium has worked to protect, enhance and improve the production and sale of the wines of both the Colli Berici and Vicenza denominations, covering 25 private wineries and three cooperatives, representing 94.7% of the DOC Colli Berici production and 99% of the DOC Vicenza production. These wines deserve not to be overlooked, with DOC Colli Berici and DOC Vicenza producing 1,611,314 and 554,000 bottles in 2022 respectively.

Seventeen wines are produced under the discipline of the DOC brand. The reds include: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Merlot, Pinot Nero, Rosso, Tai Rosso. Whites, as well as classic method Spumante and Charmat, include Bianco, Chardonnay, Garganega, Manzoni Bianco, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon.

The wines are a direct expression of the land from which they come, in part because of a Wine Production Zoning Project implemented by the Protection Consortium and the Veneto Region in 2002-2005.

The purpose of the project was to improve production by linking it more strongly to the region, taking advantage of the intrinsic vocations of its different soils. All of this took place through the study and analysis of the characteristics of the vineyard and its environment, and led to the successful  identification of the most appropriate combinations of wine varieties to soil types.

An undulating formation that originated about 60 million years ago, the geo-morphological elements of the Berici Hills confirm the superior wine growing vocation of the area. 

The chalky nature of the rocks that have evolved in a terrain with red clays give the wines richness and body, providing structure, while volcanic soils enhance the subtlety of flavours and fragrances.

The hills which make this region unique also sit at an altitude which protects them from fogs and late frosts, enhancing the anthocyanins and polyphenols present in its wines. 

The presence of sinkholes, and consequently karst, allows a supply of water to be available to supplement the limited rainfall in the area.

It is not just what is beneath the soil which makes this place unique. The Berici Hills and Vicenza DOC, given the density of Palladian and Palladian-style villas present in the region, can be allegorically considered the Palladian Vineyards.

There are splendid views of the surrounding plains dotted with Palladian Villas, whose interiors often present decorative elements realised in Berici Stone or with Nanto Stone, making them a true part of the landscape, and adding to the richness of the land and its history.

Colli Berici DOC Carmenere ‘Carminum’ 2019

Colli Berici DOC Carmenere Riserva 2018

Colli Berici DOC Carmenere ‘Calcareo’ 2019

Colli Berici DOC Carmenere Riserva ‘Oratorio di S.L.’ 2017

Colli Berici DOC Carmenere Riserva ‘Foliage’ 2018