Piedmont as famous it is for its
red wines so is it equally renowned for the zesty and flinty whites produced
here. Talking about white wine have you heard about Gavi. I had read a label Gavi
di Gavi and on the other hand also known about the Gavi. The names are same and
so are the wines then why the difference in names. Well, I thought why not to
research about this interesting wine. Gavi, The wine originates in the
Alessandria province of Piedmont. It is a wine made from the Cortese. It is a
dry white wine and delicately fruity. It is called as Cortese di Gavi, Gavi di Gavi
or just Gavi. So what's the difference between these types? Is there any? There
isn’t any relevant difference apart from the fact that the Gavi di Gavi is
produced in the estates located in the township of Gavi. The best terroir in
the region is considered to be a hill located in Rovereto. But the other areas
also produce interesting versions of wines. According to me there are two
different types of Gavi in the market. A definite reason for this is the fact
that some vineyards have calcareous soil and some have clayey soil. The former
produces wines which are dry, flinty and fresh. However the later produces a
wine which is more structured round bodied and has a hit of extra fruitiness to
it. Thus the wine is ideally one of the most versatile wines as it can
accompany most of the food preparations.
Alessandria, the province was
also known as Oltregiogo Ligure which meant Liguria beyond the pass. This place
was where the Genovese nobility would build up their summer houses. The first
mention of cultivating vineyard in this region dates back to 1072 when the
Bishop of Geneva rented chestnut stands and vineyards in the town of Mereina,
which is now called Broglia and is home to two variants of Gavi. The grape Cortese
is the white analogy to Nebbiolo. The mention of this grape dates as back as
1659. Even Louis Oudart was impressed with this grape and experimented making
frizzante and spumante versions of it. This has been authorised under the DOC
laws. In 1876 Marquis Cambiaso began the cultivation of cortese grape in the
vineyards of La Cintriana and Toledana estates. Observing this the neighbouring
estate owners also began incorporating it into their vineyards replacing other
grapes. The grape flourished this way catering to the growing demand from
Liguria. Slowly, the wine started gaining International limelight.
In 1974 the Gavi DOC was
established. There were many merchants who still wanted to overlook this rules
and still dominate the market condition. They continued to bottle the wine
outside the region designated. Thus what happened as Cortese flourished was a
miserable part of wine history. No responsibility was taken towards making
quality wines. All emphasis was laid on producing quantities of it to cater to
hankering market. The wine was still travelling out of the region to be bottled
which was against the DOC’s laws as it led to the highest opportunity to doctor
the wine. There was a focus on making light, simple and characterless wines to
fetch big fat profits which the name of the wine brought to them. As times
changed, the practice of selling the wine or grapes to the merchants was
stopped. Individual wineries sprung up which bottled their wines. The mediator
was thrown out and now the producers reaped the profit directly. By 1998, the
establishment of Gavi DOCG took place. This marked as a full stop for all the
malpractices. It brought the area under a strict quality control. The
regulations specified very clearly that none of the Gavi will move out of the
designated region to be fermented or bottled. Also the idea of using Chardonnay
as a blend was scrapped off completely. It was 100% Cortese wine. It also
regulated the harvest. The rule clarified that 1 hectare of vineyard can only
produce 95 quintal of grapes. A 70% maximum yield of the grapes would generate
66.5 hectolitres or 884 bottles of 750 ml. That was the best optimum
production. This also increased the demand of the wine in the market and as the
supply got limited, the price of the wine also shot up.The fermentation of the
wine takes place in steel. Some producers use oak or expose the wine to
barriques for a while after the fermentation to achieve a faint note of wood in
the wine. The alcohol content of wine had to be 10.5% which made it spritzy.
There are also versions with 12% alcohol in them. The Gavi is ready in the markets very early that is by the end of the spring which follows the winter harvest. The producers are away that the wine improves if you bottle it a little late it acquires a better structure and complexity. It also benefits with a bouquet of floral notes. But due to the demands of the restaurateur, local and international consumers it is launched that early. Why such a huge demand for this wine? Gavi has a pale golden colour with a green hue. The nose of the wine is full of distinct aromas with a persistent floral aroma of lily, fragrances of citrus fruits and green apples. It is dry, fruity, fresh and well balanced. The wine ages well. The ideal time to consume the wine would be after three year of vintage. It is a very versatile wine. It clearly scrapes off the belief that white wine was born with fish. Yes, it does complement exceptionally well with fish. No doubt. But it complements Ligurian cuisine which involves ravioli of vegetables and cheese, salads, different types of cheese, pesto sauce preparations, omelettes and even frittata. Gavi also serves as a great aperitif. The slightly round and fuller ones play a perfect match with various styles of white meat preparation.
A perfect wine for a neophyte. It
is an easy going, enjoyable, all time wine. Gavi would be a great company in a
shack overlooking an ocean with some fish and salad on your plate. Wine pairing
should not be limited with food; it should be also the place where it should be
ideally drunk...no relished. It’s not beer.
Cheers!!!
Anaddict
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