As we are approaching the last 31 days of 2023, there is a lot to be thankful for. I am grateful for the support of my family as I not only balance out parenthood, work travels and cooking family meals that are toddler approved. I am grateful for the short term partnership opportunities and approvals through likes, post shares and story posts from restaurants to food brands to chefs and supermarkets.

Over the summer, I have the privilege to attend the Gavi World Tour 2023 in the Midtown Loft and Terrace. Thank you Irene Ferri and the Wellcom team for having me attending this amazing and informative session of Gavi.

Prior to the session, I enjoyed the variety of pastries and cappuccino from Il Gattopardo.

The 90 minute session was packed with a lot of information about the Consorzio Tutela del Gavi, which was founded 30 years ago. The goal is to promote, enhance and protect the Gavi DOCG, which houses 1,600 hectares of vineyards in south-east Piedmont, Italy. All of the Gavi white wines are produced from a native Piedmontese white grape called Cortese. These grapes are planted, grown and harvested in either red clay soil, white soil or a mixture of both. The session began with an elaborate presentation by Lars Leicht, the Vice-President of Education for the SOMM Journal/The Tasting Panel Magazine.

From what I gathered from the elaborate presentation and display of Gavi white wines. Gavi white wines have a pale straw yellow color. The wine quality is determined by the type of harvest. For wines made in 2020 and 2021, the harvest was normal and the wines made this year came from the grapes that were harvested early.

This world tour had about 44 Gavi wines to sample.

The wine tasting table was set up to taste a flight of six wines at a time. I only made it to four flights within the 60 minute time limit.

The first flight I picked were wines that were not yet imported and these wines came from the grapes that were harvested in the white soil terroir. The grapes that are nurtured in white soil terroir have been shown to provide a great balance between structure and flavor.

From this list of wines on this first flight, my favorite was the (#15) Barabba Gavi DOCG Del Comune di Gavi, 2022 from the Ghio Roberto Winery. This wine has a fruity texture and according to the winery’s website, it pairs well with appetizers, cheeses, white meats, fish and vegetables. There are two wines in this flight that I can use to cook and consume with the cooked meal. The first wine I could cook with is the (#8) Ronco del Mandorlo Gavi DOCG Del Comune Di Gavi, 2022 from the Cascina Delle Monache Winery. When I sipped this wine, the texture was full-bodied and I learned that these grapes were harvest from the oldest vineyard whose plants are over 45 years old. The second wine I would cook with is the (#34) Tuffo Gavi DOCG Del Comune Di Gavi, 2022 from the Morgassi Superiore Winery. When I sipped this wine, it tasted initially light and tart with a bitter aftertaste. From what I read on the winery’s website, this wine has an aging potential of 20 years.

For my second flight I went with the Gavi wines, whose grapes were harvested from mixed soil, and red soil that were not yet imported. The last two wines were from the Soilair selection and the grapes from both wines were harvested from mixed soil terroir. The transitional taste of the previous six wines that were produced from the white soil terroir to mixed soil terroir was obvious. Wines produced from grapes grown on mixed soil terroir adds another layer of flavor. The first wine I tasted was the (#7) Canti Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Canti Winery. This wine was light, refreshing and the additional layer of flavor worked pretty well. From the Soilair selection, I preferred the (#35) Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Ottosoldi Winery over the (#36) Rovereto Gavi DOCG Del Comune Di Gavi ’22 from the Picollo Ernesto Di Picollo Gianlorenzo Winery. The Rovereto Gavi could be used as a cooking wine because I could taste the alcohol in this wine and personally I’d probably would appreciate the flavors once the alcohol is burned off. The last three wines in this flight were produced from the red soil terroir. My favorite of the three wines from the red soil terroir was the (#44) Girossa Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Alvio Pestarino Winery. This wine was heavily bodied yet versatile, which would taste great both cooking and drinking. For the remaining two wines in this flight, I preferred the (#21) Selection Gavi DOCG ’22 from the La Cedraia Winery. over the (#14) Costa Donnio Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Fratelli Parisio Winery. In addition, the Costa Donnio Gavi was the first wine tasted from the red soil terroir after tasting the three wines from the mixed soil terroir so it was definitely a different taste note from grapes from a different soil terroir.

For my third flight of wines, I went with the Gavi wines that are currently distributed in New York. My two favorite wines in this flight were the (#31) Masera Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Massone Stefano Winery and the (#6) La Meirana Gavi DOCG Del Comune Di Gavi ’22 from the Broglia Winery. For my final flight of wines, I sampled wines that were favorites from other people sitting in the same table. I didn’t take a picture of last six wines I’ve tasted but I can state that my two favorites were the (#28) Terrarossa Gavi DOCG Del Comune Di Tassarolo ’22 from the La Zerba Winery. This wine had a smooth buttery finish. I also enjoyed the La Battistina Gavi DOCG ’22 from the Araldica Castelvero Winery. This wine was the last tasting and it was had a neutral finish. After the wine tasting session, there was another reception of food to absorb all 28 of the different Gavi consumed.

I’ve learned so much about Gavi wines and appreciate the process of wine production from the very beginning. When I got home from the session, I looked into the potential health benefits of consuming this wine. Since Gavi is a type of white wine, I’ve searched evidence based research articles on whether white wine is healthy. There are so many articles and press about the health benefits with moderate consumption of red wine, but not so much on white. There was an article published 19 years ago from a group in Germany who showed that over a 3 month period, 40 overweight and obese patients who consumed moderate amounts of white wine lost weight ranging from 3.75 kg to 4.73 kg (Flechter-Mors, Biesalski, Jenkinson et al, 2004) in a clinical trial study. Another study in 2018 on mice showed that the incorporation of polyphenols from white wine in their diet may help reduce chronic inflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease (Mendes, Olivera, Moreira et al 2018). However, excessive consumption of white wine my increase the risk of acne (Li, Cho, Drucker et al 2017), melanoma (Rivera, Nan, Qureshi et al, 2016) and weight gain.

I’ve been exploring restaurants in NYC that focuses on Piedmontese cuisine, which was mentioned by the Lars Leicht in his presentation. One restaurant I’ve eaten in recently was San Carlo Osteria Piemonte. This restaurant is located in Soho/Nolita and it was definitely pricey. This restaurant was also listed in this year’s Michelin’s guide. The restaurant was only offering one type of Gavi wine by the glass, which was the Rovereto from Picollo. I’ve sampled this wine at the Gavi World Tour and I’ve ranked it in the middle of the pack. However, when I had it together with the classic Piedmontese dish of vitello tonnato, the wine complemented this dish so well. Every sip of this wine together with a bite of the cold veal was the well balance of flavors partying in my mouth. This is a wine and food pairing worth trying, hands down.

On my birthday two months ago, I was treated to dinner at Sandro’s Italian in Manhasset. This local restaurant also offers one type of Gavi wine by the glass, which is the Principessa. This wine was pretty good and refreshing. It hit the spot and the notes from this wine cuts through but also gets absorbed by the richness of the homemade bucatini carbonara. This pasta dish was deceivingly huge and I took the leftovers home.

Finally, after eating at two different restaurants that sell Gavi wine, I’ve searched numerous liquor stores in my neighborhood only to discover that majority of them do not sell Gavi wine. I’ve explored the liquor stores in downtown Manhattan and I finally found a place that sells Gavi wine. After months of searching I ended up purchasing a bottle of one of the wines that I enjoyed at the World Tour – the Masera Gavi ’22 and I made spaghetti carbonara with a fish cake. This carbonara didn’t look so hot, but I’ve made a better version of this dish during the pandemic using regular dried pasta.

My Gavi adventure has just begun. I’m looking forward to exploring the world of Gavi wine in both cooking and dining. Hopefully, there will be another World Tour of Gavi next year and I’ll get the opportunity to participate in it.

References:
Flechtner-Mors M, Biesalski HK, Jenkinson CP, Adler G, Ditschuneit HH. Effects of moderate consumption of white wine on weight loss in overweight and obese subjects. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Nov;28(11):1420-6. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0802786. PMID: 15356671.

Mendes D, Oliveira MM, Moreira PI, Coutinho J, Nunes FM, Pereira DM, Valentão P, Andrade PB, Videira RA. Beneficial effects of white wine polyphenols-enriched diet on Alzheimer’s disease-like pathology. J Nutr Biochem. 2018 May;55:165-177. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2018.02.001. Epub 2018 Feb 10. PMID: 29525608.

Li S, Cho E, Drucker AM, Qureshi AA, Li WQ. Alcohol intake and risk of rosacea in US women. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Jun;76(6):1061-1067.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2017.02.040. Epub 2017 Apr 20. PMID: 28434611; PMCID: PMC5438297.

Rivera A, Nan H, Li T, Qureshi A, Cho E. Alcohol Intake and Risk of Incident Melanoma: A Pooled Analysis of Three Prospective Studies in the United States. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2016 Dec;25(12):1550-1558. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-16-0303. PMID: 27909090; PMCID: PMC5137801.