Colli dell'Etruria Centrale

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The territory, from a geological standpoint, is divided into four systems in order of decreasing age: Mio-Eocene pre-Apennine ridges, Pliocene hills, the intermontane basin of the Valdarno Superiore with Pleistocene deposits, and alluvial deposits.
• The altitude of the vine-cultivated hill sites averages between 200 and 400 metres above sea level, with a maximum limit set at 700 metres.
• The climate of the area ranges from humid to sub-humid, with a summer water deficit, and falls within the broader climatic complex of the Tuscany inland hills.
• Mean annual rainfall is 867 mm, with a minimum of 817 mm and a maximum of 932 mm, peaking in November (121 mm) and reaching its lowest point in July (32 mm).
• The warmest month on average is August, with mean temperatures above 23 °C, while the coldest month is generally January, with mean temperatures around 5 °C.
• The geographical zone lies in the central part of Tuscany, close to the Apennine chain, and partially covers the hilly territories of the provinces of Arezzo, Firenze, Pistoia, Pisa, Prato, and Siena.

• Tradition attributes the introduction of viticulture in the territory to the Etruscans, although the discovery of fossilised vines dating back tens of millions of years suggests an even more ancient origin.
• In the early 1970s, the transition from sharecropping (mezzadria) to direct farm management led to the conversion of old mixed-cultivation areas, where vines were trained up living supports, into specialised, mechanisable vineyards, made possible through F.E.O.G.A. funding programmes.

• The production regulations stipulate that all wines display a well-balanced level of acidity, while colour varies according to the different wine types produced under the appellation.
• At the end of the ageing period in small wooden casks (caratelli), Vin Santo and Vin Santo Occhio di Pernice must reach a minimum total alcoholic strength of 15.50% vol.

• The scarcity of summer rainfall combined with high average temperatures and adequate sunshine creates water stress in the vine, which contributes to producing grapes particularly well suited to yielding a wine with positive characteristics.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A1384
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Vino Chianti