Cortese

The Cortese variety is almost exclusively cultivated in the Piemonte region of northwest Italy, and in particular around the town of Gavi and in the Colli Tortonesi. It offers restrained, clean characteristics, with aromas of pear and lemon and a well-defined acidity.

It gains a more complex character when planted in the central zone of Gavi di Gavi, where the soils impart a perfumed mineral character adding complexity to lively aromas of ripe fruit and flowers. Cortese is usually un-oaked but extended lees contact can impart hints of vanilla and bread.

There are few established Cortese vineyards outside Italy, it’s geographical distribution limited to a few notable sites in Australia and California, where it loses some acidity and gains weight. Fresh, young Cortese wine drinks well as an accompaniment to freshwater fish, seafood and risottos.