Milan is many things, we know. But few would say it has its own wine. In the week of the Salone del Mobile 2022 we are pleased to remember the San Colombano DOC. Located 40 km south of Milan, the San Colombano area is the only DOC in the Milanese area. It's worth getting to know her.
Let's face it: San Colombano, the only DOC wine in Milan, is a true rarity, and it is very difficult for it to appear on our tables or in Milanese bars. This is also why we like to talk about it during this Design Week 2022.
Where is San Colombano located?
The Colle di San Colombano is located 40 km south of Milan (25 km from Pavia and 15 km from Lodi): between the Lodi plain and the Pavia plain. The municipality is that of San Colombano al Lambro.
Since when has wine been produced in this area?
Legend has it that it was San Colombano, an Irish monk who came to Italy, who taught the inhabitants of the area to cultivate vines and produce wine. We are in the 6th century AD .
San Colombano in numbers?
We are talking about:
- 230 hectares of vineyards;
- a dozen producers ;
- 2450 hectoliters of DOC wine ( 2020 data), 5850 of IGT and 700 of sparkling wines.
All this data is provided by the Colombano DOC Wines consortium .
What was San Colombano wine like in the past?
In the past it was produced more in the sparkling version, so it was a wine with very evident fruity notes, to be drunk young.
How is San Colombano DOC wine?
Today the firm version is much more widespread. San Colombano can be white or red , and in both cases it is made using different grapes.
San Colombano bianco is made mainly with chardonnay and pinot noir (in quantities of less than 10%), plus other local grapes such as verdea.
The red San Colombano is instead made mainly with croatina, barbera and rare grapes (up to a maximum of 15%) but merlot and cabernet sauvignon can also be added.
How to recognize San Colombano Rosso blindly?
👁 The color is ruby red.
👃🏻 The nose is very fragrant, between black cherry and red fruits.
👄 On the palate, in the still version, it is dry, savory, austere, with a finish that closes on almond and earthy notes. His problem? In less sophisticated versions it can have a “winy” character, which is not a compliment as we have said at length here . However, there are also Reserve versions, with mention of the vineyard of origin: they are wines produced with greater selection in the vineyard, of superior quality.
The advice is, when you have the chance, to absolutely try it!
San Colombano for Luigi Veronelli
By definition attentive to the most unknown wine, Veronelli del San Colombano said in 1968:
“Loaded with history, the wines of San Colombano just needed farmers who, becoming aware of this, gave them their nobility. These farmers are there."
