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Colli Euganei (Euganean Hills) DOC is one of the interesting wine sub-regions of Veneto region. The wealth of wine types, styles, and the history long winemaking traditions make Colli Euganei wine region a real find for connoisseurs of wine lovers all over the world. A visit to the Colli Euganei region will provide you with a memorable experience. You will have the chance to taste regional wines served with handmade sausages and snacks, in addition to admiring the historic Venetian houses surrounded by endless vine fields. The various vineyards in the Euganean Hills produce top-notch wines, including several brands that have received honours and certifications. The Fior d'Arancio DOCG stands out among the best, but the variety of white and red wines made in the region is truly wide and may astound even the most discerning aficionados. In addition to direct sales, the vineyards also host guided tastings and farm tours, giving customers the chance to learn more about winemaking up close.

We hope you will experience the superb wines that make Colli Euganei a favorite for wine drinkers worldwide. Look through our site to discover what Wineries in Colli Euganei have to offer and take full advantage of this lovely region. Find out more about Wine Tasting and Tours in Colli Euganei.

Where is the Colli Euganei Wine Region?

Colli Euganei wine region is located 60 kilometers northeast of Venice. The terrain surrounding Colli Euganei in the Padovan-Venetian plains is flat, although the area itself is characterized by massive volcanic hills.

Unique terroir of Colli Euganei appellation

Colli Euganei has a Mediterranean climate, with dry, warm summers and concentrated rainfall throughout the chilly winter months. In the summer, the sirocco wind, a scorching breeze, that blows over the Mediterranean from the Sahara desert, frequently reaches Colli Euganei. It raises the average temperature and has the potential to dry the grapes.

Hillsides provide greater drainage, poorer soils, and varied solar exposures than the flatlands in between, and the most valuable vineyards are situated on the slopes or towards the hills. This is what distinguishes Colli Euganei from other Veneto wine districts. The Colli Euganei is one of Italy's few volcanic wine districts, although the soils aren't totally volcanic, with a mix of limestone and clay soils. These features make Colli Euganei (The Euganean Hills) ideal for producing wines with complex organoleptic qualities. 

The Euganean hills are divided into 15 sub-regions, each with a slightly varied climate; nevertheless, the microclimate and soils can also change within each sub-region. Colli Euganei's southern sub-regions are often warmer and drier than the northern sub-regions.

History of Colli Euganei wine region

The Veneto region is famous for the presence of such a wine-growing area as Colli Euganei. Archaeological findings of clay tiles, bowls, and cups connected with wine use since pre-Roman civilization attest to the cultivation of the vine and the manufacture of wine in the Euganean Hills area (VII – VI centuries BC). 

The wines of the Euganean Hills were designated as Colli Euganei DOC in 1969. (Colli Euganei DOC). These wines have won several medals at wine festivals and exhibits due to their distinct characteristics.

What is Colli Euganei Wine?

Every Colli Euganei DOC winemaker recounts their unique tale, one of family, goals, and history. There are tales of youth and fecklessness, of power, of the spirit of inquiry and the pursuit of beauty, and even more that have yet to be spoken. The region produces a variety of wines, including: Tokai Italico, Colli Euganei Pinello DOC, Chardonnay, Merlot, Serprino, Moscato, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Bianco. Each wine expresses the specific terroir of Colli Euganei DOC, as well as the winemaker's ingenuity. 

Colli Euganei Pinot Bianco - floral or fruity depending on the age, and perfectly balanced between body and aroma. The colour is straw yellow with greenish reflections and a bread crust aroma.

Colli Euganei Chardonnay has a delicate bouquet and preserves its floral overtones and exotic fruit fragrance despite maturing in steel vats. It becomes more intriguing, buttery, and velvety after some time in barriques. It tastes well with chicken and cheese. 

Colli Euganei Merlot comes from the most well-known and widely planted vineyards in the Euganean hills. It is most pleasant when young, with its marasca cherry and elder undertones. It develops overtones of cherry, blackberry, and roasted tastes as it ages. 

Colli Euganei Cabernet is particularly nice when young; this red has a fruity smell that is perfectly suited to a body with strong structure. When matured, it emits scents of tobacco with toasty toasted overtones, making it austere and beautiful.

Colli Euganei Serprino is a crisp, light sparkling wine with aromas of rich fruits and berries, comparable to prosecco but sweeter in flavour. At the same time, the wine is not too sweet, but rather delicate, and pairs nicely with fish dishes, fruits, and soft types of local cheese. It's also a great choice for an evening apéritif. 

Pinello is a delicate, light wine that is often served as an apéritif with various types of antipasto, but is also sometimes ordered with fish feasts. It will appeal to those who prefer light wines, such as Portuguese green wine.

Colli E. Fior D'Arancio is a sweet sparkling wine. The wine's aroma combines citrus fruit notes with apple and apricot to achieve the rich, sweet palate. 

Tocai italico has nothing in common with Hungarian tokaji (save for the name), and the wine has a bitter refreshing taste with floral notes that are amplified in the bouquet. Excellent with white fish dishes.

Food to Pair with Colli Euganei Wine

Maritata minestra, authentic Italian soup from Naples

Minestra maritata in the US is known as Italian wedding soup, which is incorrect because the translation of minestra maritata is wedded soup and alludes to the marriage of the soup's major elements, veggies, and meat. 

Traditionally, the soup was cooked with a blend of preserved and fresh meat (mostly hog) and lush greens. Escarole, torzella (curly kale), chicory, puntarelle, borage, Savoy cabbage, guanciale, ham hocks, lard, pig ribs, beef, pork, and sausages are all used nowadays. The soup is served with grated cheese on top, if preferred, after the ingredients are cooked in a thick broth until soft. It makes a great pair with Colli Euganei Pinot Bianco young wines.

Primavera Risotto, Green Risotto with Asparagus

Risotto primavera is a creamy Italian rice dish bursting with bright vegetables including asparagus, spring onions, shallots, fresh peas, and broad beans. Butter, chicken or vegetable stock, Arborio or Carnaroli rice, and a dash of dry white wine are also included. 

The meal is often completed with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and it is best served warm, preferably garnished with a few basil leaves. Very pleasant tasting with white Colli Euganei wines.

Asiago, 1000-year-old cheese from Veneto region

This semi-hard to hard cheese comes in two flavours: fresh Asiago Pressato and aged Asiago d'Allevo. 

It has a delicate nutty scent and a deep, pungent flavour. Asiago Stravecchio, often known as “the poor man's Parmesan,” is good in risottos, ravioli, and pasta dishes, whereas Mezzano is commonly served as an appetizer with radicchio, elderberry or pear jam, fig mustard, and other fruit and vegetable spreads.

Produced on the Asiago plateau from the year 1000, this cheese was known as Pegorin among locals since it was previously made with exclusively sheep milk (pecora means sheep in Italian). Today, Asiago cheese is produced using cow's milk in the Veneto region's districts of Vicenza, Treviso, and Padua, as well as Trento in the autonomous Trentino-Alto Adige region.

Places to visit in Colli Euganei

The Euganean Hills: The Center of Enogastronomy and Incredible Landscapes

The Euganean hills and the towns of Arqua Petrarch, Este and Monselice located on them are a well—known area of agro-gastronomic tourism. Agro, since almost everything that can be tasted in the surrounding restaurants is grown and produced on neighbouring farms.

For local wines, you need to go to cantinas — small family wineries, of which there are countless on the Euganean Hills. By and large, when you drive through the Euganean Hills by car, you only see endless vines, on the edge of which old Venetian villas flaunt. Their basements and stone halls are now adapted for the production and storage of wine.

The Euganean Hills is a national nature reserve in the north of Italy in the Veneto region, founded in 1989. It is spread out on a hilly area of 19 thousand hectares. The hills were formed due to the eruptions of underwater volcanoes with the release of basalt lava about 35 million years ago. Due to the particularly fertile land and mild climate on the Euganean hills, centuries-old oaks and chestnut forests, olive trees, beeches, and cypresses coexist side by side, here you can see beautiful landscapes, endless vineyards and orchards.

But the landscape of the Euganean Hills is not only breathtaking panoramas, it also includes medieval castles, Renaissance villas, churches, monasteries, ancient cities. On the territory of the Euganean hills there are also the famous thermal resorts of Abano and Montegrotto Terme.

The sight of them causes admiration and peace – whether you look at sunsets and sunrises from panoramic platforms and breathtaking landscapes open up in front of you, whether you drive a car or bus, or wander along hiking trails.

Parco Regionale dei Colli Euganei, A Venue For Memorable Hikes

This is a lovely area, full of little villages, medieval cathedrals, and a wealth of excellent restaurants, as people rave about Colli's cuisine. 

This geologically intriguing area near Padua and within driving distance of Venice. It is a highly fertile nation situated in the flat Po valley bottom, accentuated by a few steep hills. On small roads clogged with bicycles, you'll ride past vineyards and hilltop towns. There are numerous good restaurants nearby, as well as quiet hikes in the hills where you are unlikely to meet anybody else.

Frequently Asked Questions about Colli Euganei wine region

How far is Colli Euganei from Veneto?

This well-known wine-growing region is only a one-hour drive from Venice.

What are the subregions of Colli Euganei DOC?

The “Colli Euganei” designation is given to 13 wines: the White, with its characteristic straw-yellow colour and jasmine scent; the Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon reds, the elegant Chardonnay; the Fior d'Arancio, the super sweet yellow Moscato, the Merlot, the pleasantly fresh and lively Novello, the dry Pinello, White Pinot, Red Wine, the sparkling Serprino, and the Tocai Italico.

What kind of wine is Colli Euganei?

Colli Euganei wine area produces a range of interesting wines – white, red, and sparkling from international as well as local grape varieties.

Map of Wineries in Colli Euganei

Discover the locations of wineries in Colli Euganei

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Experiences in Colli Euganei

Just getting started on your wine journey, or jumping back in?
Taste through a selection of a great local wines.

Wineries in Colli Euganei