Gavi / Cortese di Gavi DOCG

Gavi's disciplinare, as published by MASAF, traces the area's winegrowing to the first document kept in the Archivio di Stato di Genova, dated 3 June 972, which concerns the leasing of vines by the bishop of Genoa to two citizens of Gavi. The first reference to plantings of "viti tutte di cortese" (vines all of Cortese) appears in 1659, in correspondence between the castle of Montaldeo and the Marchese Doria. According to the Consorzio Tutela del Gavi, the area had been Genoese for centuries, and in the 17th century the great families of Genoa, from the Giustiniani to the Lomellini, built summer residences here; the Ligurian aristocracy chose Cortese as a court grape and spread its cultivation. The Consorzio dates the first specialized Cortese plantings to 1856, on the Gavi estates of the Marchese Cambiaso, La Centuriona and La Toledana, and says that within a few decades Gavi became synonymous with dry white wine. The disciplinare records DOC approval by presidential decree of 26 June 1974 and DOCG approval by ministerial decree of 29 July 1998.

• In 1798 Count Nuvolone, vice-director of the Società Agraria di Torino, drew up the first ampelography of the vines grown in Piedmont and cited Cortese in the dialect form Corteis (MASAF disciplinare, Art. 8)
• The Consorzio's timeline records that in 1869 the first ampelographic commission of the Province of Alessandria described Cortese as particularly suited to sparkling wine, and that in 1924 Arturo Marescalchi's guide "I Vini tipici d'Italia" called Cortese wines "Bianchi tipo Gavi"
• Decanter's Alessandra Piubello (2023) reports that in the 19th century the Genoese families Raggio, Sartorio, Serra and Spinola established large vineyards, launching Gavi's international reputation

Gavi lies in the extreme south-eastern corner of Piedmont, which the disciplinare describes as a physical and geological frontier where the great plain meets the mountains. The disciplinare calls the climate transitional and moderately continental, with long, harsh winters and fairly frequent, abundant snowfall toward the southern Apennine area, and a summer season that is cooler and windier than in the nearby sub-Po area. The Consorzio adds that the sea wind blowing from the Ligurian Sea meets the snow of the Apennines here, and its viticulture page records abundant rain from October to April (619 mm), hot, dry summers with a July minimum of 38 mm, tempered by winds from the sea, and a wide day-night temperature range in the final phase of ripening that it credits with enhancing Gavi's aromas. Geologically the Consorzio divides the zone into three bands: red soils from ancient alluvial deposits north of Gavi, toward Tassarolo and Novi Ligure; alternating marls and sandstones in a central belt on a line from Serravalle Scrivia to Gavi and San Cristoforo, including the soils of Monterotondo; and white clay marls of marine origin, with numerous fossils, in the steeper south. The Consorzio places the territory in the Tertiary Piedmont Basin and names the Serravallian Marls as the characterizing formation.

• Only hillside vineyards of suitable position and aspect, on calcareous-clay-marl soils, qualify; flat, damp valley-floor sites are excluded (MASAF disciplinare, Art. 4)
• The disciplinare gives the general exposure of the vineyards as north-west and south-east, with slopes that steepen toward the Apennines
• The Consorzio describes Guyot training, rows 2.40 to 2.60 metres apart, vines 0.90 to 1.20 metres apart and an average of 3,300 to 5,000 vines per hectare; the disciplinare requires at least 3,300 vines per hectare in new plantings and replantings

Gavi is made from Cortese alone: the disciplinare reserves the DOCG for wines from vineyards composed solely of the Cortese variety, which it describes as a native vine of long-proven establishment in the zone. Jancis Robinson describes Cortese as a speciality of south-east Piemonte in general and Gavi in particular. In the Consorzio's description, Gavi is straw-coloured, more or less pale, with greenish highlights, with an elegant, delicate scent of fresh fruit and white flowers, notes of citrus and bitter almond that gain mineral scents with age, and a dry, full, pleasantly fresh taste. Decanter's James Button (2020) describes the wines as fruity and floral, sometimes with a bitter grapefruit or almond note. The 2021 disciplinare lists five types: tranquillo, frizzante, spumante, Riserva and Riserva Spumante metodo classico; the Consorzio groups them as four types of white wine, still, frizzante, spumante and Riserva.

• Decanter's Alessandra Piubello (2023) writes that most producers use only stainless steel in making the wine; the disciplinare notes that tranquillo, Riserva and Riserva Spumante metodo classico kept in wooden vessels may show a hint of wood
• Spumante must stay on its lees for at least 6 months with the Charmat method (closed tanks with agitators) or at least 9 months with bottle fermentation (metodo classico), and its taste may range from brut nature to extra dry (MASAF disciplinare)
• For the Riserva types, the Consorzio describes a broader nose and a fuller, richer mouthfeel: a long-lived white that keeps its freshness while gaining tertiary aromas

The Consorzio says it represents all Gavi DOCG producers, not only its members. Consorzio figures for 2022, published by Decanter in 2023, count 130 producers, 32% of them certified organic, and Decanter's Alessandra Piubello describes a winemaking community made up mainly of small and medium-sized wineries. Piubello reported in 2023 that Tenuta La Meirana overlooks 65 hectares of Cortese on a single plot, which she calls the appellation's largest vineyard by surface area, and she dates the Broglia family's first Gavi vintage to 1974, the year the DOC was established. At Villa Sparina, Massimo Moccagatta told Decanter that in 2004 he and his siblings Stefano and Tiziana added a farmstay and a gourmet restaurant to the vineyard. Decanter reported in 2023 that La Raia is certified biodynamic, one of only two such vineyards in the appellation, with 48 hectares of vineyards.

• Broglia (Tenuta La Meirana): 65 hectares of Cortese on a single plot, first Gavi vintage in 1974 and around 800,000 bottles today, per Roberto Broglia in Decanter (2023)
• Gianlorenzo Picollo: 16 hectares straddling Rovereto, Tassarolo and Francavilla; stainless steel vats only and whole-bunch pressing (Decanter, 2023)
• Marchese Luca Spinola: Andrea Spinola farms 15 hectares, all Cortese, with his highest vineyards at 330 metres, and obtained organic certification in 2017 (Decanter, 2023)

The disciplinare published by MASAF, most recently amended by ministerial decree of 6 August 2021 (Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 201 of 23 August 2021), reserves Gavi or Cortese di Gavi DOCG for white wines from Cortese grown in a zone covering all or part of 11 communes in the province of Alessandria. Maximum grape yields are 9.5 tonnes per hectare for tranquillo, frizzante and spumante and 6.5 tonnes per hectare for Riserva and Riserva Spumante metodo classico, with a maximum grape-to-wine yield of 70%; the Consorzio expresses these limits as 66.50 hl/ha for the base type and 45.50 hl/ha for the Riserva types. Minimum total alcohol at release is 10.50% vol for tranquillo, frizzante and spumante and 11.00% vol for Riserva and Riserva Spumante metodo classico. Riserva requires one year of ageing, six months of it in bottle, counted from 15 October after the harvest, with release allowed from 1 November of the year after the vintage. Riserva Spumante metodo classico requires two years of ageing from 15 October after the harvest, including eighteen months on the yeasts in bottle. Vinification must take place inside the production zone, and Riserva and Riserva Spumante metodo classico must be bottled there.

• Tranquillo, frizzante and spumante labels may name the commune of origin as "del comune di ...", optionally followed by a frazione listed in the disciplinare's annex, provided the grapes come from that territory; the Riserva types may not carry commune, frazione or locality names
• Decanter's James Button (2020) notes that only grapes grown in the commune of Gavi itself can use the title "Gavi di Gavi" on the label
• The "vigna" mention is permitted; for tranquillo, frizzante and spumante using it, the maximum grape yield falls to 8.50 tonnes per hectare, and the vintage must appear on tranquillo labels
• Crown caps and plastic screw caps are excluded, and cork stoppers are mandatory for Riserva and Riserva Spumante metodo classico
• The Consorzio, founded in 1993, records ministerial recognition for erga omnes activity across the whole Gavi supply chain in 2013 and carries out market surveillance on Gavi DOCG on behalf of the Ministry; Valoritalia is the authorised control body
• Consorzio figures for 2022, published by Decanter in 2023, give 1,600 hectares planted; the Consorzio's producers page, as fetched in 2026, describes 1,550 hectares

The Consorzio places the Gavi lands between the Ligurian Sea and the Monferrato. It calls the Forte di Gavi an imposing bulwark on the most important route between the plain and the sea, and lists it among the sights for visitors alongside the archaeological site of Libarna at Serravalle Scrivia and the Parco delle Capanne di Marcarolo. Decanter's Alessandra Piubello (2023) writes that in the 12th century the town of Gavi became a crucial defensive outpost for the Genoese, as evidenced by its fortress, and places the Ligurian sea about 30 km to the south. The Consorzio promotes the appellation through the Di Gavi in Gavi Festival and the "Tutto il Gavi a ..." format, which takes the denomination to major Italian cities, and its producers page lists the wineries where visits and tastings can be arranged.

• The Consorzio names the raviolo di Gavi, traditionally made with beef and pork, eggs, cheese, borage and escarole, as the local filled pasta
• Farinata, focaccia and the amaretti di Gavi, whose patent the Consorzio dates to 1780, complete the local table
• The Consorzio ties Gavi's white wine to the cuisine of the lords of Genoa, based on fish, lean meats and vegetables

Primary sources (MASAF and the Consorzio Tutela del Gavi): https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Ff%252F6%252FD.b5bdd1dbb38eb7253e5a/P/BLOB%3AID%3D4625/E/7z?mode=download, https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fd%252F5%252FD.fd1629819dea12c20cf4/P/BLOB%3AID%3D4625/E/pdf?mode=download, https://www.consorziogavi.com/gavi-docg-2/, https://www.consorziogavi.com/viticoltura/, https://www.consorziogavi.com/consorzio/, https://www.consorziogavi.com/il-gavi-docg-consolida-la-presenza-internazionale/, https://www.consorziogavi.com/produttori/, https://www.consorziogavi.com/wp-content/uploads/timeline-gavi-.pdf, https://www.consorziogavi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/timeline-consorzio.pdf, https://www.consorziogavi.com/destinazione-gavi/. Secondary sources: https://www.decanter.com/premium/gavi-the-names-to-know-and-10-wines-to-try-502969/, https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/wine-regions/italy/piemonte, https://www.decanter.com/decanter-best/time-to-try-piedmonts-white-wines-442789/. Last verified 2026-09-25