Colline Lucchesi is a

denominazione di origine controllata The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tipi ...

(DOC) for wine, created in 1968, that is located in northern

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and centered near the commune of

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one ...

Geography

This DOC is broken into two near but nonadjacent areas that envelop Lucca and are separated by the Serchio River. The western (and larger) portion of the DOC reaches

Pescaglia Pescaglia is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about northwest of Lucca. Pescaglia borders the following municipalities: Borgo a Mozzano, Camaiore, Fabbri ...

in the north and

Massarosa Massarosa is a city and '' comune'' in the province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. The city is near Lucca and Pisa. The city hosts Massarosa International Piano Competition. Sister cities Massarosa is twinned with: * Gmina Łużna, Poland * T ...

to the west, while the eastern portion of the DOC abuts

Pescia Pescia () is an Italian city in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located in a central zone between the cities Lucca and Florence, on the banks of the river of the same name. History Archaeological excavations have suggest ...

to the east,

Villa Basilica Villa Basilica is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about northeast of Lucca. Villa Basilica borders the following municipalities: Bagni di Lucca, Borgo a ...

to the north and

Capannori Capannori () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the province of Lucca, in northern Tuscany. History The 40 hamlets of Capannori are located on the lands that once corresponded to the eastern territories of the Republic of Lucca. Most of those h ...

and

Porcari Porcari is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lucca in the Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about east of Lucca. In the Middle Ages it was a stage on the Via Francigena The Via Francigena () is an ancient ro ...

to the south. The soil of Colline Lucchesi is often composed of

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

mixed with gravel, and many of the parcels in this area favor the production of Merlot. Both sections of the DOC are at the foot of the Apennine Mountains.

History

The wine has a long history; based on medieval records, it is known that the wine of this region was favored by the medieval lords of Lucca,

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

and Pisa. Recognition of the denomination of origin wines ''Colline Lucchesi'' and revocation of designation of origin of wines of “Rosso delle Colline Lucchesi” or “Colline Lucchesi rosso” and “Bianco delle Colline Lucchesi” or “Colline Lucchesi bianco” was granted in 1997.

DOC Regulations

Colline Lucchesi is allowed to make

bianco Bianco is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy. It is a seaside town and a popular tourist resort. The main attractions are the remainings of an old abbey and the ruins of a Roman house. See also *Calabri ...

and

rosso Rosso is the major city of south-western Mauritania and capital of Trarza region. It is situated on the Senegal River at the head of the river zone allowing year-round navigation. The town is 204 km south of the capital Nouakchott. The Ar ...

styles of wine, as well as certain varietal wines and

vin santo Vin Santo ("holy wine") is a style of Italian dessert wine. Traditional in Tuscany, these wines are often made from white grape varieties such as Trebbiano and Malvasia, though Sangiovese may be used to produce a ''rosé'' style known as "Oc ...

. The bianco blend is allowed to be complex and flexible, but is Trebbiano dominated. It is 45% to 70%

Trebbiano Toscano Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it ...

; up to 45%

Greco Greco may refer to: People * Greco (surname), a list of people with this surname * a masculine variant of Greca (given name), an Italian feminine given name * Greco Mafia clan, one of the most influential Mafia clans in Sicily and Calabria Wine ...

Grechetto Grechetto () or Grechetto bianco is a white Italian wine grape variety of Greek origins. The grape is planted throughout central Italy, particularly in the Umbria region where it is used in the ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) win ...

Vermentino Vermentino is a light-skinned wine grape variety, primarily found in Italian wine. It is widely planted in both Sardinia and Liguria (wine), Liguria, to some extent in Corsica, in Piedmont under the name Favorita, and in increasing amounts in Lan ...

and/or

Malvasia Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world. ...

; up to 30% Chardonnay and/or Sauvignon blanc and up to 15% other white varieties. The DOC also allows two white varietal wines, Vermentino and Sauvignon Blanc. These varietal wines must have at least 85% of the variety stated on the bottle (e.g., Colline Lucchesi Sauvignon blanc). Joseph Batianich & David Lynch Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy" pg 431 Clarkson Potter Publishers The rosso blend is Sangiovese-dominated, and is composed of between 45% and 70%

Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grape ...

, up to 30%

Canaiolo Canaiolo (; also called Canaiolo nero or Uva Canina) is a red Italian wine grape grown through Central Italy but is most noted in Tuscany. Other regions with plantings of Canaiolo include Lazio, Marche and Sardegna. In Umbria a white ber ...

and/or

Ciliegiolo Ciliegiolo is a variety of red wine grape from Italy, named after the Italian for 'cherry'. It is a minor component of traditional blends such as Chianti, but interest has revived in recent years. In Umbria it is made into a light quaffing wine, ...

, up to 15% Merlot and up to 15% other grape varieties, such as

Vermentino nero Vermentino nero is a red Italian wine grape variety that is predominantly grown in province of Massa-Carrara in Tuscany (wine), Tuscany. After World War II, the vine was almost lost to extinction until Podere Scurtarola, a producer from Massa, Tus ...

, with Aleatico and Moscato only allowed to reach 5% of the blend. Like the bianco wines, the DOC allows two varietal wines: Merlot and Sangiovese. Riserva wines must be aged a minimum of two years.

References

External links

Tenuta di Valgiano
A producer of wines from Colline Lucchesi

Maker of Colline Lucchesi bianco, rosso and vin santo wines, as well as vinegar and olive oil {{coord missing, Italy Wines of Tuscany Italian DOC