Colli Piacentini

The Colli Piacentini ("Hills of Piacenza") are an Italian wine region located at the western end of Emilia-Romagna.

[2] In Roman times, Julius Caesar's father-in-law Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, grew grapes in the Piacenza hills.

Archeological excavation of sites in the area has uncovered fossilized vine roots and grape seeds dating from 700 to 2000 BC.

During the classical period, the Roman statesman Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus (father-in-law to Julius Caesar), was publicly criticized by his political rival Marcus Tullius Cicero for "excessively enjoying" or honoring the wines from the area.

In the late 14th century, local officials instituted a series of regulations on winemaking and grape growing aimed at reducing the potential for wine fraud and maintaining standards of quality.

[2] The Colli Piacentini DOC covers 9,000 acres (3,600 hectares) of hilly terrain in what was historically part of the Emilia province.

[4] Among the other grape varieties grown in the Colli Piacentini, which can not be varietally labeled, are Trebbiano Romagnolo, Bervedino, Verdeca and Moscato bianco.

A vineyard in the Colli Piacentini
The Roman statesman Cicero once criticized Julius Caesar's father-in-law for "excessively enjoying" the wines of the Colli Piacentini.
Croatina (also known as Bonarda in the Colli Piacentini) is blended with Barbera to make Gutturnio.
Moscato Bianco is known throughout the world under a variety of synonyms including Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains.