The Candia hills extend between the municipalities of Massa and Carrara, in a sunny foothill strip exposed to sea breezes, with the splendid backdrop of the Apuan Alps acting as a natural amphitheater for this enchanting landscape.
Wines with the controlled designation of origin “Candia dei Colli Apuani” are produced there, using methods for which the term “heroic viticulture” is often used: the first production regulation dates back to 1981, but these hills have been known since much earlier times for their golden, suave wines.
Even Montaigne, who stopped in Massa on his 1581 trip to Italy, spoke of the area’s fresh wines, which he said were drunk young, not aged. In 1779 Farsetti praised the excellent wine of “Monte Libero,” an ancient fortified site in the Candia area, whose ancient name “Mons Liber” is traced back to the cult of the Italic god Liber Pater, god of virility and wine, likened to Dionysus.
It is not the case to bother Pliny the Elder, who spoke of the “Apiane” vines in reference to ancient Luni (more likely he meant wines from the Cinque Terre or Colli di Luni), but it is true that, in the Roman aedicule of Fantiscritti (from the quarries of Carrara), Bacchus himself is depicted next to Jupiter and Hercules, in a triad with a strong symbolic value.
In the early nineteenth century, Count Lodovico Lizzoli urged local growers to improve the production of “luxury wines” and “perfect them in such a way that they surpass in goodness and delicacy most forastieri wines.” The winemaking vocation of the Massese hills was openly acknowledged, but it presented a major problem: the “secrets” for giving birth to the best wines, according to Lizzoli, were known only to two or three families of producers!
Today, “Candia dei Colli Apuani” D.O.C. is produced in as many as nine types, starting with the more traditional white, which can also be sparkling, dry or amabile, and involves the predominant use of Vermentino (minimum 70%) and other white grape varieties, among which Albarola and Malvasia del Candia are usually favored.
Similar blends can be used for the rare Candia Vin Santo, which requires natural drying in special rooms and aging in small wooden barrels (caratelli), and for the Late Harvest type, while Candia Vermentino Bianco is distinguished only by the greater contribution (at least 85%) of Vermentino grapes.
The red and rosé types require at least 60 percent Sangiovese, in the most classic of Tuscan traditions, with the addition of other red grapes and a maximum amount of Merlot equal to 20 percent of the total.
Very interesting are the other labels dedicated to Candia reds, those involving the use of native grape varieties such as Vermentino Nero and Barsaglina (or Massaretta).
Considered a “difficult” grape variety, Vermentino nero has obscure origins, but is considered typical of the Apuan territory; it gives vigorous and fragrant wines, fruity and full-bodied, with typically spicy notes, intended for medium aging.
Massaretta is another indigenous grape, long used for blending wines and then almost disappeared: a complex grape with a character that is not easy, it requires constant attention, in the vineyard and in the cellar, to avoid the appearance of certain defects that marked the “farmer’s” wines of these areas. Rediscovered in recent years, thanks to the efforts of a few stubborn producers, Massaretta (or Bersaglina) generates wines of great personality, sincerely territorial, fruity on the nose and spicy, with astringent notes destined to smooth out with moderate aging.
The Consortium for the protection of Candia dei Colli Apuani brings together some 20 producers, divided between the municipalities of Massa and Carrara: the steep slopes, the development on terraces and steps and the difficult cultivation mean that the wineries involved maintain artisanal dimensions, with small, very specific production and family management. The wines of the Candia hills never have industrial characteristics, and are frequently awarded in events dedicated to “heroic wines”; the Consorzio di Tutela was the first of its kind to join Cervim (Centro di Ricerca per la Viticoltura Montana), an organization that organizes international reviews dedicated to “extreme wines,” and pursues the development of sustainable viticulture, where the quality of wine products goes hand in hand with the preservation of the environment and the protection of the landscape.