Gavi DOCG is one of Northern Italy's most characterful white wines, and it comes from the area around the town of Gavi in Piemonte. The DOCG classification is Italy's highest wine category and serves as a guarantee that the wine originates from precisely this place and is made according to the established rules for the area.
What makes Gavi Gavi is the grape. The wine is made exclusively from Cortese, a local Piemontese grape that also gives the wine its other name, Cortese di Gavi. This is not a blend of different grapes. A Gavi DOCG must be pure Cortese, and it is precisely this one grape that defines the wines from glass to glass.
In terms of style, Gavi is a dry and fresh white wine with a lively acidity. It is a wine that sits at the light and fresh end, and is typically drunk young, while it still retains its crisp character. That kind of wine does well as an aperitif, but also happily finds a place at the table, where its freshness makes it a pleasant companion.
For a wine to bear the designation Gavi DOCG, it must be grown and produced within the defined area in Piemonte and meet the requirements that apply to the classification. All the way from cultivation and harvest through vinification to the final labelling, established rules are followed, and the wine must also undergo both analytical and taste-based control before it can be sold as Gavi DOCG.
For you who enjoy a white wine with clear freshness and a firm anchoring in one particular place, Gavi is an obvious place to begin in north-western Italy. If you want to explore the area further, you can dive into the rest of our selection from Piemonte and the rest of Northern Italy.