Colline Lucchesi Doc

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The green hills surrounding the city of Lucca have always been decked with splendid vineyards. Most probably the Etruscans started the wine-making process in these lands, but it was only with the Ligurians that this activity was decisively developed. Many are the historical documentations on the prestige of these wines. Among the various esteemers is Pope Paul III Farnese (1534-1549) who, during a visit to Lucchesia, appreciated the red and white wines produced in this area. This Doc is also present in the Bianco, Rosso, Merlot, Sangiovese, Sauvignon, Vermentino, Vin Santo and Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice.

How it is consumed

The Colline Lucchesi Bianco is served with delicate plates such as marzolino, panzanella, rice minestrone, and vegetable minestrone. It is served in flared chalices at a temperature of 8-10°C. The Rosso is served with structured dishes such as the lard of Colonnata, the caciotta Toscana, lentil soup, tripe and chicken. It is served in Bordeaux chalices at a temperature of 16-18°C. The Vin Santo is served at end of meals in small chalices at a temperature of 12-14°C, together with sweets and dry cakes, typical of the Tuscan tradition.

How it is conserved

To conserve properly the wines belonging to the Colline Lucchesi Doc there are no rigid preservation rules: it is enough to keep the wine in the dark, at a constant temperature of 10 to 15°C. To avoid that the cork becomes too dry, the humidity must be around 70-75%. The bottles must be conserved horizontally on wooden shelves

How it is produced

The productive process of the Colline Lucchesi Rosso is defined as the vinification of the marc which is in contact with the must during fermentation, to extract parts of the substances it contains, such as the tannic and anthocyanin ones. The fermentation process has a variable duration: from 2 to 3 days for the young wines, to more than 15 days for those which are destined to a long aging period. The following phases are the drawing of the wine, the separation of the marc from the must, decantation, refining and aging. For the Reserve version the aging period is of two years. The productive process of white wines (fermentation off skins) aims at the direct extraction of the juice from the fruit, in a way that the fermentation regards considers only the liquid part and not the skin, although recently new techniques are being devised in which cool maceration takes place, to allow primary aromatic substances contained in the skins to pass through the must. In fermentation off skins more frequently pressing takes place on whole grapes, when these have not been pressed before, which serve to separate the must from the skins and from other solid parts, thus reducing to a minimum the laceration of the skins. The must is leesed so that the suspended particles are eliminated, the sulphating phase with sulphite anhydride and fermentation which must not exceed 20°C. At the end the drawing of the wines takes place with various decantations which allows the wine to become limpid. Once decantation is over the product is ready to be bottled. The productive methodology of the Vin Santo starts with the vinification of the grapes which undergo a withering phase and a pressing phase not before the first of December of the vintage year and before the 31st March of the following year. As for all straw wines the grapes are picked in a bunch, since the stalks are dry and therefore can absorb a quantity of alcohol and can confer bad tastes. A soft pressing follows. Fermentation follows which is naturally blocked when a high alcoholic gradation is reached. The resulting wine is stabilised, refined and bottled.

Product report