Italian wine and grape guide : Gavi DOCG

Gavi is a great Italian white wine and whether you think that Gavi di Gavi and Gavi are two different wines or not, that one is better than the other, there is only one appellation, the Gavi DOCG.

Gavi, a DOCG from 1998, is one of the most famous and appreciated Italian white wines and the reason behind some of the wines being labelled Gavi di Gavi or Gavi del comune di Gavi and some only Gavi, lies in the vineyards locations. A Gavi di Gavi or Gavi del comune di Gavi wine indicates that the vineyards from which the grapes come from are located within the borders of the town of Gavi. Gavi wines on the other side, are made from grapes grown within the appellation area, but outside the town of Gavi, and there are good and bad Gavi wines inside and outside the ”di Gavi” area.

Gavi DOCG is a white wine produced in the Alto Monferrato, in the southern part of the province of Alessandria, Piedmont, north east of Italy, bordering with Liguria and made exclusively from Cortese grapes cultivated in the town of Gavi and surrounding villages, from which it takes its name. The Cortese grape is also widely cultivated outside the DOCG area and Piedmont in general, but the wines produced cannot be labelled Gavi.

The Gavi DOCG wine has a light straw colour with green hues and a delicate, fruity nose with apple hints. The wine is dry, fresh, full and elegant. In the last few years, wine makers have started to produce more structured and complex wines with very good results, proving that the Cortese grape grown in the Gavi area is suitable for ageing in bottle or barrels and produce long lasting wines.