Lovers of red wines capable of structure and at the same time of elegance are certainly familiar with the so-called Bordeaux blend and with the family of grapes and wines attributable to Grenache or Garnacha, called in the Spanish style, but the association of these two types is less obvious. of wine with a DOC from the hilly area south of the city of Vicenza, the Berici Hills. Below we tell you why the products of this Veneto DOC cannot be neglected.

Let's start with the definitions, for those who are curious about new wines, but not used to the vocabulary of enology. The Bordeaux cut indicates the assembly of grapes typical of the Bordeaux area, in France, (hence the name) in particular Merlot and Cabernet. These are international varieties, in the sense that they are grown with more or less high quality results all over the world. In Italy the excellence and international fame of "Bordeaux" wines was achieved earlier than elsewhere in Tuscany, especially towards the coast of the Maremma and in the DOC of Bolgheri, where the wines of great value that pass under the name of Supertuscans are born.

Grenache or Garnacha, is the name of a vine of Spanish origin, spread in different areas overlooking the Mediterranean and in other parts of the world, so much so that it has become the vine with the largest area under vines in the world, as reported by the site of Grenaches du Monde , the international competition dedicated to these wines. In Italy, this imported vine has become so deeply rooted over the centuries in various territories that it has become "autochthonous" in its various expressions for its cultivation areas. Thus in Sardinia there is the famous Cannonau, in Umbria the Gamay del Trasimeno, in the Ligurian Riviera the Granaccia, and in Veneto, in particular in the area of the Berici Hills, the red Tai (once called red tocai).

Colli Berici is a land decidedly suited for red berried grapes, so much so that Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, together with Carmenere, also imported here from France and often confused with Cabernet Franc, have long since found an ideal territory for maturation capable of transforming into wines of great structure, color and alcohol content, in particular on the south-west side on the hills between the municipalities of Sarego, Lonigo and Alonte. Until a few decades ago, the red Tai of the Berici Hills, on the other hand, was mostly produced as a wine with a light color and ready to drink, without too many pretensions we could say. In relatively recent times, fortunately, some "enlightened" wineries have realized the great potential of this vine, which truly identifies this area, focusing on high quality productions, with different interpretations, from more structured wine to sparkling wine.

To better understand this land, and consequently the wines that originate here, we recommend taking about ten minutes to watch a video story produced in 2014 and then also published on our website.

Returning instead to the "bottles", in an article of 2019 you can read how some labels of the DOC Vicenza and Colli Berici (Corallo - Tai Rosso Colli Berici DOC 2016 by Cavazza, Fra 'i Broli - Merlot Colli Berici DOC 2016 by Piovene Porto Godi, Colli Berici DOC Rosso Riserva 2016 - Casa Defrà di Cielo and Terra, "Terra dei Rovi" Colli Berici Rosso DOC 2015 by Dal Maso) have been able to hold up the comparison, and in some cases win it, with renowned international and national labels, with an advantage remarkable in terms of value for money.

The trend towards the excellence of the red wines of the Berici Hills was confirmed again this year in the competitions and evaluations of the best national and international guides in the sector, with various scores over 90 points and maximum awards with gold medals and silver (read here to learn more).

Here are some examples:... read more»