The Montello Rosso or Montello DOCG. The ruby-colored excellence of the Montello-Colli Asolani area of which it assumes and communicates the characteristics and value.
In addition to the ‘Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG’, which boasts the denomination guaranteed since 2009, the Montello-Colli Asolani area also boasts another small, high-quality indigenous wine production: the ‘Montello Rosso’ or ‘Montello’, DOCG starting from the 2011 harvest.
Obtaining the DOCG for ‘Montello’ is the new achievement for the wine sector. This wine, which could be classified as Bordolese, actually assumes and fully communicates the characteristics and value of the production area of Montello and the Asolo hills. The purpose of having a DOCG with these vines is precisely to offer wines of great quality on the market, with the aim of giving greater importance and territorial identification to this red wine which is based on international vines that are however grown in Veneto. for more than 60 years.
TERROIR. On the clayey hills of Montello, the climate is dry in summer and rigid in winter and the steep slopes (the vineyards are well exposed and located on hilly or foothills) and the particular arrangement of the land (whose acidic nature facilitates the plant the absorption of microelements) make the vine one of the few crops that can survive in this environment. The vine, according to these climatic and environmental conditions, gives rise to a limited production of high quality, which is maintained thanks to the arboreal practices applied during the growing season, such as the summer thinning of the bunches, the grassing of the rows and a drastic winter pruning. The maximum yield of grapes per hectare of the ‘Montello’ in specialized cultivation does not exceed 10 tons with a planting density of not less than 3500 vines.
AMPELOGRAPHY. ‘Montello Rosso’ is the name of the red wine obtained from the Bordeaux blends of the territory which is made up of grapes, musts and wines from the vineyards of a company area according to this division: Cabernet Sauvignon from 40% to 70%, Merlot and / o Cabernet Franc and / or Carmenère from 30% to 60%. Up to a maximum of 15% can also be obtained from grapes of similarly colored berry varieties, excluding aromatics, suitable for cultivation in the province of Treviso.
TYPES. Declined in two versions, ‘Montello Rosso’ and ‘Montello Rosso Superiore’, this wine must undergo a long refinement, which starts from November 1st of the year of production of the grapes, of at least 18 months (9 months in oak barrels and 9 in the bottle) for the first type and at least 24 months (12 months in oak barrels and 6 months in the bottle) for the other. The grapes intended for the production of the “Superiore” version have a minimum alcoholic strength by volume higher than 1% vol. (12.5%) compared to that of “Montello Rosso” (11.5%).
CAPPING. To close the bottles, only the use of cork or cork derivatives is allowed.
FEATURES. With an intense ruby red color tending to garnet with aging, ‘Montello’ has an intense, pleasant, ethereal vinous aroma and a dry, savory, robust and slightly spicy flavor, sometimes with hints of wood in relation to storage in barrels of oak.
PAIRINGS. The best combination for this wine is red meat, in particular also roasts of game and game, medium-aged and spicy cheeses, but also typical Venetian dishes such as the classic ‘Pasta e fasoi’, the ‘Luganega with mushrooms. ‘, or the’ Sopa coada ‘, a soup cooked in the oven with pigeons and cheese.
PRODUCTION AREA. The production area of the grapes suitable for the production of ‘Montello Rosso’ or ‘Montello’ wines includes the entire territory of the municipalities of Castelcucco, Cornuda and Monfumo and part of the territory of the municipalities of: Asolo, Borso del Grappa, Caerano S. Marco , Cavaso del Tomba, Crespano del Grappa, Crocetta del Montello, Fonte, Giavera del Montello, Maser, Montebelluna, Nervesa della Battaglia, Paderno del Grappa, Pederobba, Possagno, S. Zenone degli Ezzelini and Volpago del Montello, all located in the province of Treviso.
PRODUCTION REGULATIONS DENOMINATION OF ORIGIN CONTROLLED AND GUARANTEED
‘MONTELLO ROSSO’ OR ‘MONTELLO’
Approved with DM 13.10.2011 G.U. 248 – 24.10.2011
Modified with DM 30.11.2011 Published on the official website of the Mipaaf
Quality and Safety Section for PDO and PGI wines
Article 1
Denomination and wines
The denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin “Montello rosso” or “Montello” is reserved for wines that meet the conditions and requirements established by these production regulations, for the following types:
- “Montello rosso” or “Montello”;
- “Montello rosso” or “Montello” superior.
Article 2
Ampelographic base
- The denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin “Montello rosso” or “Montello” also in the superior version is reserved for wine obtained from grapes, musts and wines of the following varieties, coming from the vineyards of a company area, in the following composition: Cabernet Sauvignon from 40 to 70%, Merlot and / or Cabernet Franc and / or Carmenère from 30 to 60%.
Grapes of similarly colored berry vines, excluding aromatics, suitable for cultivation in the province of Treviso, can contribute up to a maximum of 15%.
Article 3
Grape production areas
The production area of the grapes suitable for the production of “Montello rosso” or “Montello” wines referred to in article 2, paragraph 1,2,3 includes the entire territory of the municipalities of Castelcucco, Cornuda and Monfumo and part of the territory of municipalities of: Asolo, Borso del Grappa, Caerano S. Marco, Cavaso del Tomba, Crespano del Grappa, Crocetta del Montello, Fonte, Giavera del Montello, Maser, Montebelluna, Nervesa della Battaglia, Paderno del Grappa Pederobba, Possagno, S. Zenone degli Ezzelini and Volpago del Montello. This area is delimited as follows: from the locality of Ciano in the municipality of Crocetta del Montello the limit continues eastwards along the provincial road of the “Panoramica del Montello” to the exit point on the same cross of Montello marked with the n. 14; from the intersection it follows a vertical line with respect to the “Panoramica” until it reaches the edge of the hill overlooking the Piave river. From this point the limit follows in an easterly direction the upper part of the Montello escarpment that runs along the Piave up to the locality called Case Saccardo in the municipality of Nervesa della Battaglia, then continues, towards south-east, along the border between the municipalities of Nervesa and Susegana and along the Piave coast road which, passing through the hydrometer, leads to the town of Nervesa, from where it bends west along the Strada Statale n. 248 “Schiavonesca Marosticana” which runs up to the border of the province of Treviso with that of Vicenza, near km 42,500 approximately, in the municipality of S. Zenone degli Ezzelini. At this point it follows the border between the province of Treviso to the north and the province of Vicenza until it crosses the level curve corresponding to the altitude of 400 meters above sea level within the municipality of Borso del Grappa The border subsequently, always in correspondence with the level curve identified above, continues eastwards passing over the villages of the municipalities of Borso del Grappa, Crespano del Grappa, Possagno, Cavaso del Tomba and Pederobba. intersection with the altitude of 400 meters above sea level the Calpiana road heading south, which, passing near the Pedemontana colony, leads to the South-East on the “Pedemontana del Grappa”. It then goes down this road and back on the “Pedemontana del Grappa”, the limit runs along the latter up to its intersection point with the state road n. 348 “Feltrina”, once you have passed the inhabited center of Pederobba. It then follows that state road up to Onigo di Pederobba, at which it bends east following the road to Covolo, touches Pieve, Rive, runs along the Brentella canal up to an altitude of 160 and then towards the north-east reaches Covolo, passes it and reaches Boats, where it reaches an altitude of 146 m. s.l.m. near the bank of the Piave. From an altitude of 146 it continues along the road towards the south until it crosses the road to Crocetta del Montello near the 27,800 km mark. Along this road it continues southwards and at the height of the Fornace locality it bends to the South-East for the one that reaches Rivasecca, passes it and always following the road that runs along the Castelviero canal towards the South-East, it reaches the Ciano locality from where it began the delimitation.
Article 4
Standards for viticulture
- The environmental and cultivation conditions of the vineyards intended for the production of wines with a controlled and guaranteed designation of origin “Montello rosso” or “Montello” must be the traditional ones of the area or in any case suitable for giving the grapes and derived wines their specific characteristics. quality features.
Therefore, only well-exposed vineyards, located on hilly and / or foothills terrain, are to be considered suitable for the production of the wines referred to in Article 1, with the exception of the valley floor vineyards and those exposed to the north wind. - Only simple espalier training systems are allowed.
For plants built after the approval of this specification, the number of plants per hectare, calculated on the sixth of the plant, cannot be less than 3,500.
Any forcing is prohibited; emergency irrigation is allowed. - For wines with a denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin referred to in Article 1, the maximum yield of grapes per hectare in specialized cultivation must not exceed 10 tons and the minimum natural alcohol content by volume of the grapes destined for vinification must be of 11.50% vol.
Without prejudice to the maximum limit indicated above, the yield per hectare of mixed-cultivation vineyard must be calculated in relation to the actual area declared in the vineyard register.
The grapes intended for the production of the “Superiore” version must have a minimum alcoholic strength by volume of more than 1% vol. than those previously indicated.
In favorable years, the quantities of grapes obtained to be used for the production of wines with a controlled and guaranteed designation of origin “Montello rosso” or “Montello” must be reported within the above limits provided that the overall production does not exceed the same limits by 20%, without prejudice to the grape / wine yield limits for the quantities in question.
The Veneto Region, upon a reasoned request from the Protection Consortium and after consulting the professional trade organizations concerned, may, with its own provision, decide to reduce the quantities of grapes per hectare that can be claimed compared to those set above, immediately informing the control body.
The remaining quantities, up to the maximum limits provided for in this paragraph, will be taken over for the production of wines with or without a typical geographical indication or with a controlled designation of origin if they meet the characteristics provided for by the relevant regulations. - The vineyards are suitable for the production of wine with a controlled and guaranteed designation of origin “Montello rosso” or “Montello” only from the fourth year after planting.
Article 5
Rules for winemaking - The wine making operations of the wines referred to in Article 2 must be carried out within the production area defined in art. 3. However, taking into account the traditional production situations, it is allowed that these operations are also carried out in the entire territory of the municipalities included in part in the production area referred to in the aforementioned art. 3, and in those of: Altivole, Arcade, Farra di Soligo, Pieve di Soligo, Trevignano, Valdobbiadene and Vidor.
- The maximum yield of grapes into wine must not exceed 70% for all wines. If the grape / wine yield exceeds the above limits, but not 75%, the excess is not entitled to the controlled and guaranteed designation of origin. Beyond this limit, the whole lot loses the right to the controlled and guaranteed designation of origin.
- Only traditional oenological practices are allowed in winemaking, or in any case suitable for giving wines their particular characteristics.
- The wines with a controlled and guaranteed denomination of origin “Montello rosso” or “Montello” must be subjected to a refinement which must be:
- at least 18 months of which at least 9 months in oak barrels and at least 6 months in bottles;
- and at least 24 months for the superior type of which at least 12 months in oak barrels and at least 6 months in the bottle.
The refinement starts from November 1st of the year of production of the grapes.
Article 6
Consumer characteristics
- Wines with a controlled and guaranteed designation of origin “Montello rosso” or “Montello” must meet the following characteristics when released for consumption:
- color: ruby red tending to garnet with aging;
- smell: intense, characteristic, pleasant, tending to ethereal if aged;
- flavor: dry, sapid, robust, lightly, harmoniously spiced;
- minimum total alcoholic strength by volume: 12.50% vol and 13.00% vol. for the higher version;
- minimum total acidity: 4.5 g / l;
- minimum non-reducing extract: 24.0 g / l and 26.0 g / l for the superior version.
In relation to storage in wooden containers, the taste and smell of wines may have a hint of wood.
The Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies has the right to modify the minimum limits indicated above for total acidity and the non-reducing extract by its own decree.
Article 7
Labeling and designation
- In the designation of wines with denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin “Montello rosso” or “Montello” any additional qualification other than that provided for in this specification is prohibited, including the adjectives “extra”, “chosen”, “selected”, and similar.
- The use of indications that refer to names, company names, private brands not having a laudatory meaning and not suitable for misleading the buyer is allowed.
- The indications tending to specify the agricultural activity of the bottler such as “winegrower”, “farm”, “estate”, “farm”, “farmhouse”, and other similar terms are permitted in compliance with the relevant EC provisions.
- For wines of the denomination of controlled and guaranteed origin “Montello rosso” or “Montello” it is mandatory to carry the indication of the year of production of the grapes on the label
Article 8
Packaging - Wines with a controlled and guaranteed designation of origin “Montello rosso” or “Montello” must be released for consumption, in traditional glass bottles for the area, of the capacities permitted by law, up to 12 liters pursuant to Legislative Decree no. 61/2010 with clothing suited to their quality character.
- At the request of the operators concerned, with the appropriate authorization of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, the use of traditional containers with a capacity greater than 12 liters is allowed on the occasion of particular exhibition or promotional events.
To close the bottles, only the use of cork or cork derivatives is allowed.
Article 9
Link with the geographical environment
a) Specificity of the geographical area
Natural factors
The production area of the DOCG “Montello Rosso” or “Montello” wine is located in the Veneto region north of Venice, in the Province of Treviso, on the hilly areas consisting of Montello and the Asolo hills at the foot of the Dolomites, between Nervesa della Battaglia to the east, and the town of Fonte to the west. It is these two hilly systems almost independent, separated by a deep incision about one kilometer wide that constitute a single geological entity. They are characterized by an altitude ranging from 100 to 450 meters above sea level, and by a landscape, a highly distinctive element, which has a strong integrity and a position with slopes and curves that give it sweetness and harmony. The hills are composed of large formations of tenacious conglomerate formed by rocks cemented together and covered with marly-clayey or marly-sandy soil that is easily workable and disintegrated by atmospheric agents, with a typical red color that testifies to their ancient origin. The soils are decarbonated and acid reaction, medium deep, with a good water reserve capacity and a good mineral endowment, and, having not undergone violent alterations, they have their original characters with intact stratigraphies and not disturbed textures, and a high level of microbiological activity on the organic substance which ensures a good availability of nutritional elements. Very often the conglomerate mass has numerous more or less vertical fractures that favor the underground water circulation and the formation of karst phenomena witnessed, especially on Montello, by over 2000 “sinkholes”, with soil cavities of different sizes forming a perfect underground drainage system . The climatic peculiarity of the territory consists in the succession of mild springs, summers that are not too hot and autumns again mild thanks to the favorable southern exposure of the vineyard slopes and the conformation of the reliefs that are arranged orthogonal to the cold winds coming from the north-east; summer temperatures have average values of 22.6 ° C with maximum values in July; the autumns are hot and dry thanks to the presence of breezes and strong temperature variations night-day. Precipitation is about 700 mm from April to September, with a fairly regular distribution; such rainfall must always be related to the hilly position of the soils and therefore to the easy disposal of excess water and the loose nature of the soil that allows for rapid subsurface infiltration.
Fattori storici
La presenza e lo sviluppo della vite sui Colli Asolani e sul Montello si deve ai monaci benedettini prima e alla presenza della Repubblica Veneta poi.
I monaci benedettini si insediarono intorno all’anno mille in particolare nel monastero di S. Bona a Vidor e nella Certosa del Montello a Nervesa; con il loro operato essi hanno influenzato in modo molto importante la storia agraria e vitivinicola del territorio, determinando la profonda cultura per la vite e il vino che persiste tutt’ora, tanto che la specializzazione degli impianti è più volte sottolineata nei testi storici. Nella seconda metà del 1300, quando quest’area passò ai veneziani, i Colli Asolani e il Montello vennero subito riconosciuti come un’importante area enoica e i suoi vini venivano esportati all’estero già nel 1400. Nel Cinquecento, che vede il trionfo della nobiltà veneziana con la costruzione di ville, barchesse e case di caccia con relativi vigneti, si ha il diffondersi nella zona di un pensiero aristocratico di ricerca del bello e del buono che si trasmette nel sapere viticolo ed enologico popolare. I colli sono ammirati dalle più prestigiose personalità e il vino è un prodotto ricercato che si confronta a Venezia con i vini portati dalla Grecia. Nel 1500 Giovanni Alvise Salamon afferma che i vini rossi del Montello e dei Colli Asolani venivano venduti all’interno della Repubblica “pagandosi molto più degli altri vini di altre parti, per essere questi molto buoni e delicati”
A partire dal 1977 questi vini sono stati oggetto di tutela con il riconoscimento della DOC “Montello e Colli Asolani” e continuano a ottenere riconoscimenti a livello nazionale e internazionale. Tra i vini prodotti nel comprensorio, a Ottobre 2011 il Ministero, riconoscendone il valore, ha conferito la DOCG al vino “Montello Rosso” o “Montello”
Fattori umani
Nell’area di produzione del “Montello Rosso” o “Montello”, l’antica conduzione familiare dove il vino costituiva parte importante dell’alimentazione quotidiana e dell’economia locale, ha caratterizzato un paesaggio rimasto con una forte integrità, che ha conservato i suoli originari e pertanto molto favorevoli alla coltivazione, dove la presenza non invadente del vigneto divide tutt’oggi lo spazio con altre colture.
Da una civiltà importante come quella veneziana si è sviluppata inoltre una imprenditorialità vivace e dinamica che ha conservato nel tempo la passione per il bello e per l’eccellenza e, grazie anche alla presenza a pochi chilometri della Scuola Enologica di Conegliano fondata nel 1876 e del Centro di Ricerca per la Viticoltura che hanno contribuito all’evoluzione culturale e alla specializzazione degli operatori, è cresciuta una vitivinicoltura in grado di valorizzare la splendida vocazione naturale del territorio, che ha creato alcuni vini di altissimo pregio tra cui il “Montello Rosso” o “Montello”.
Vineyards with more than 3,500 vines per hectare, set on contained espaliers, with unproductive clones and rootstocks suitable for acidic soils, with green thinning interventions capable of creating an excellent vegetative-productive balance, they are in synergy with climatic peculiarities such as slopes exposed to the sun, protected from the cold winds coming from the north, which, favoring mild autumn conditions, allow for prolonged ripening over time that attack the herbaceous and rough notes. The soils, especially where made up of leaner marls, favor in red wines the rich phenolic composition, a diversified aromatic composition and a well-calibrated sugar / acid ratio. This determines wines with a ruby red color tending to garnet with aging, an intense, characteristic, pleasant aroma, tending to ethereal if aged and a dry, savory, robust, slightly spicy and harmonious flavor.
The rainfall, the hilly position of the soils favorable to the disposal of excess water and the loose nature of the soil that allows a quick subsurface infiltration, allow the vine to always have a vigor at balanced and contained levels that still manages to protect the grapes and safeguard the aromatic substances.
The particle size and conformation of the soils allows the root system to have a regular water supply, which is essential for a grape variety from which freshness, acidity and aromatic intensity are desired.
The acidic nature of these soils leads the plant to favor the absorption of a greater share of microelements than neutral soils, allowing the vine to achieve a good balance between vegetative and productive activity.
Article 10
References to the control structure
Valoritalia srl. Administrative office: Via San Gaetano, 74 – 36016 Thiene (Vicenza)
The Valoritalia Company is the Control Body authorized by the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, pursuant to Article 13 of Legislative Decree no. 61/2010 (Annex 1) which carries out the annual verification of compliance with the provisions of this specification, in accordance with Article 25, par. 1, paragraph 1, letters a) and c), and Article 26 of EC Reg. No. 607/2009, for products benefiting from the PDO, by means of a systematic control methodology throughout the entire production chain (viticulture, processing, packaging), in accordance with the aforementioned Article 25, par. 1, 2nd paragraph, letter c).
In particular, this verification is carried out in compliance with a predetermined control plan, approved by the Ministry, in compliance with the model approved by the Ministerial Decree of 2 November 2010, published in the Official Gazette no. 271 of 19-11-2010 (Annex 2).