Woe to say that we are in the Langhe, but it is still Piedmont. Land of bagnacauda, of soups and boiled meats, of meats, cheeses and truffles and, precisely in these parts, of ravioli, testa in cassette and amaretti biscuits. Land of great red wines, excellence of Italian enology and married perfectly with the full-bodied typical dishes of this region.
Yet in Gavi, in this corner of the territory at the center of the Turin-Milan-Genoa industrial triangle, among the holiday hills of the historic Ligurian aristocracy, with their ups and downs cycled several times by the champion Fausto Coppi and the Serravalle outlet which is its commercial symbol of the third millennium, it makes one of the most popular white wines in the world.
They come from all over the planet to taste it, even the Chinese who expect the classic Barolo or Barbera and who instead find the Gavi DOCG, formerly known as Cortese, Doc label since 1974, Docg since 1998 and the first GMO Free wine in the world, not genetically modified. It is now promoted by the project, which belongs to the Consortium for the Protection of Gavi founded in 2011, "Gavi 972" (www.gavi972.it): 972 as the year of birth of this thousand-year-old wine, which has always been white due to the influence of the Republic of Genoa to which it belonged for centuries (the Ligurian capital is less than 50 km away), and so ancient as to have been tasted, as the legend tells, even by the emperor Federico Barbarossa, who frequented these lands in the XII century.
Making such a product known is therefore a must, given its history and its unique characteristics that arise from a particular territory, which with its calcareous composition (the land of the vineyards is in some points really white) and the proximity of the sea gives the wine that dry, almost brackish imprint, while the cold processing makes it unusually (for a white) storable over the years, favoring its sparkling process and its combination with any type of cuisine.
In reality, even before the amazed Chinese operators ("The East is the new frontier of the wine market", confirms the president of the Consortium Giampiero Broglia) it should be made known to the Italians themselves who, "by dint of following fashions" , as some of the 320 manufacturers (all family-run, of which 30% run by women) of the Consortium which includes 11 Municipalities around Gavi for a total of 1.450 hectares of vineyards, they know less than any foreigner.
Yes, because Gavi DOCG abroad doesn't need too many introductions: of the 11,5 million bottles produced each year, almost 80% is destined for export (for a turnover of around fifty million euros). A market that sees the main outlets in the United States, the United Kingdom (Gavi was also a protagonist at the London 2012 Olympics) and Germany, but the savory flavor of the Piedmontese white has reached every corner of the planet, from Hong Kong to Lebanon, from the Philippines to Dubai, passing through Eastern European countries (a rapidly growing market, in particular Russia, Ukraine and Serbia) to reach Trinidad & Tobago.
But that's not all: this medium-high target product, which however now also wants to conquer a more popular range with price containment, has been promoted and used by some of the world's most famous chefs, such as Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey, by internationally renowned sommeliers such as Charlie Arturaola and even by the American president Barack Obama, who has always been a great lover of made in Italy (in addition to drinking Gavi, he wears Brioni).
Gavi was also mentioned by Dustin Hoffmann and Harrison Ford in two of their films, but now it's time to look to the future, to make a dated and prestigious past even more glorious. In Italy? “Given the current market conditions, it is better to continue focusing on exports – continues Broglia -: the challenge is that of the Far East, China and Japan, as our French neighbors have been doing for years”. Yes, because according to experts, China will be the first market in the world in 2020, but currently out of 100 bottles imported, only 6 are Italian, while the French are 55. An infinite derby, between Italy and France: from Zidane and Materazzi to Beijing, passing through the province of Alessandria.
