The Raise a Glass feature is published in several UK regional newspapers every week. Here’s some words on Gavi wine, an elegant white from Piedmont in Italy.
Wine comes to life with food.
I joined a “wine team” to put that to the test in grand style, with one wine in particular: Gavi DOCG.
We were guests of the Gavi wine region and drinks industry experts The Buyer on the Gavi Restaurant Tour in Manchester and we taste-tested these lovely Italian whites against three cuisines.
Not traditional Italian, but grazing tapas with dips and charcuterie; then fabulous Chinese nibbles including the tastiest (and sometimes spicy!) dim sum; and finally a selection of Middle Eastern mezze.
My message to you?
By golly this is a wine for all-comers, for all tastes, for all food pairings.
Gavi white wines hail from Piedmont in the north west of Italy where it proudly shouts its worth against mighty reds including barolo and barbaresco.
Gavi’s World Ambassador Sara Repetto was on hand to guide us.
I asked Sara (on your behalf) what people should expect from Gavi wines.
Sara told me: “This is a classic white wine from Piedmont and it is a flagship of white wine in our region.
“It is mineral and crispy; you can find floral notes, white flower notes and citrus notes.”
As we had just tasted its merits alongside our three cuisines, Sara emphasised: “You can have Gavi wines by the glass without any kind of food; or with vegetables, salad, chicken, or pasta.
“It is so versatile you will never be disappointed.”
Sara said: “It is like having a glass of spring or summer time.”
I think that sounds great in the middle of these damp and wet months!
Go for it!
Some Gavi wines to try:
There’s plenty of great quality Gavi wines around on our supermarket shelves, including: ASDA Extra Special Gavi (£9.25), Tesco Finest Gavi (£9.25), Waitrose Gavi Piedmont (£9.99), Lidl Gavi DOCG (£7.99) and Co-op Irresistible Gavi Broglia (£9).
We visited the restaurants Salut Wines, BAB and Home.
Some of the wines we tasted on our food and wine pairing tour, included:
Castello Di Tassarolo Gavi DOCG (£11.29, Costco)
Cascina delle Monache Gavi del Comune di Gavi 2022 (£15.30, down from £17, online at The Oxford Wine Company)
Costa Donnio Gavi DOCG, Parisio (£14.36, stonevine.co.uk)
Tacchino, Gavi di Gavi (£15, streetwines.co.uk)
Molinetto Re-lys Gavi DOCG (£16.95, tilleys-wines.com)
Il Poggio Black Label Rovereto Gavi (£18, amathusdrinks.com)
La Raia Gavi Riserva (£21.95, aduv.co.uk)
{Stockists and prices correct in February 2024}
To find out more about Gavi DOCG wines head online to consorziogavi.com, or follow them on Instagram @gavi972.
First published in UK regional newspapers: See “About ” me