Gavi or Cortese di Gavi DOCG is a light, refreshing, sometimes slightly spritzy dry white wine produced from 100% Cortese grapes grown in 11 communes in the south-east of Alessandria Province in the Piemonte (Piedmont) region of north west Italy. It became a DOC in 1974 and was upgraded to DOCG in 1998. The flagship wines are called Gavi di Gavi and Gavi di Tassarolo and come from Gavi or Tassarolo communes respectively.
Wine style: Typical flavours include apple, toasted almonds and sage says Doug Wregg (Les Caves de Pyrène list, July 2011).
Communes: Bosio. | Capriata d’Orba. | Carrosio. | Francavilla Bisio. | Gavi. | Novi Ligure. | Pasturana. | San Cristoforo. | Serravalle Scrivia. | Tassarolo.
Terroir: The most refined wines come from chalky soils around the town of Gavi itself and in particular from the Rovereto zone whose wines show power and concentration. The Tassarolo area’s clay soil clay content makes for some of the richest Gavi wines.
Winemaking options: Skin contact. Lees contact, lees stirring. Partial malolactic fermentation. Oak for fermentation, ageing or both.
Wineries
Certified Biodynamic: Cascina degli Ulivi. | La Raia.
Certified organic, Biodynamic practices: Castello di Tassarolo.
No certification: Magda Pedrini. | Pio Cesare (Alba).