The character

Cortese is the white grape of Piedmont’s Gavi DOCG, in the Monferrato hills of southeastern Piedmont. The variety produces light-bodied, bright, lemony wines with high acid and a distinctive saline finish. Cortese di Gavi (the older name; now simply Gavi DOCG) is a wine designed for immediate enjoyment with the regional Piedmontese cuisine — particularly the seafood dishes that come up the coast from Liguria.

Where it grows best

Piedmont, Italy — primarily the Gavi DOCG zone southeast of Asti, on calcareous-marl soils. Small amounts also grown elsewhere in Piedmont under the Piemonte DOC umbrella. Even smaller experimental plantings in Australia and California, but commercially insignificant outside Italy.

How it tastes

Lemon, green apple, white pear, white flower, almond, with a salty mineral finish. Acid is bright to high; alcohol typically 12-13%; texture is light to medium. Gavi from a top producer (Castello di Tassarolo, La Scolca, Castellari Bergaglio, La Raia) shows much more structure and length than the everyday entry-level style.

How it ages

Most Gavi is meant for drinking within three years of vintage. Top bottlings — particularly the Riserva-level wines from La Scolca’s Black Label and similar — age ten years and develop a honeyed, nutty complexity, but the grape’s natural register is fresh and immediate.

What to pair with

Piedmontese seafood: vitello tonnato (the regional veal-and-tuna sauce), insalata di mare, grilled fish, fritto misto. Beyond Piedmont: shellfish, light pasta with seafood, salads, aperitif. Gavi is a great daytime and aperitif white — light, bright, food-friendly.