Annette and I attended an "Discover Oltrepò Pavese" wine luncheon at Cafe Milano in Georgetown/ Washington DC. We enjoyed the excellent food and wines.
Cafe Milano
(New York Times)
Every town, no matter its size, has a bar or restaurant where the powerful gather to hold court. Washington has Cafe Milano. It has been a destination for high-ranking members of media and of governments around the world since it opened in November 1992, on the same day Bill Clinton, now a Cafe Milano regular, was first elected president. It is a place where diners can enjoy relative privacy as they dine on grilled calamari and velvety burrata.
Picture: Chef Domenico Cornacchia and Christian Schiller. See: The Wines of the 2010 Giro d'Italia
Oltrepò Pavese
(wine-searcher)
Oltrepo Pavese DOC (meaning Pavia across the Po) is perhaps the most traditional wine zone in Italy’s northernmost region, Lombardy. It is located in close proximity to Milan, and borders the regions Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont. Similar to Piedmont, this area was for centuries under the rule of the House of Savoy. Evidence of its viticultural heritage goes back at least 3000 years – a dated imprint of a cluster of grapes was once found on a sandstone rock in the district.
The vineyards of the Oltrepo zone sit among the foothills between the Apennines and the river Po in the provinces of Alessandria, Genoa and Piacenza. The vines benefit from an excellent microclimate (thanks to its proximity to the Po), well-drained soils rich in clay and calcareous marl, and a terroir often compared to that of Barolo.
Oltrepo produces more than half of the wine coming from Lombardy and is not far behind Asti and Chianti in terms of volume of production. The area is also considered the Pinot Noir capital of Italy, as there are almost 9880 acres (4000ha) of this variety under vine. Although the climate here can lead to this grape ripening too early, it is well suited to the Pinot Noir needed for the sparkling wines; picked at the early stages of skin ripeness, Pinot Noir displays a good balance of acidity and sugar required for these wines.
There are 20 wines under this classification, using both traditional and innovative methods. On the traditional side are the rosso (also as a riserva), rosato, Buttafuoco and the frizzante semi-sweet Sangue di Guida, meaning Judas's Blood (legend has it that the friars from this area believed this local wine to be a 'naughty' wine because of its aphrodisiacal effects). All these styles are produced from a traditional blend of Barbera and Croatina (locally known as Uva Rara or Bonarda).
The white protagonists are Malvasia and Moscato, which are produced as sweet and sparkling versions, with a minor role played by Cortese. Moscato also plays a role in the liquoroso and passito. On the innovative side are the spumante and still wines made from non-native grapes. The leading varieties for the reds are Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Nero; the wines are often barrel matured in small barriques (French barrels). The whites favor Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling Italico, Riesling and Pinot Nero.
The spumante is made in the traditional method (metodo classico) or fermented in an autoclave (an Italian method) whereby Pinot Nero is vinified as a white, with the possible additions of up to 30% Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. Sparkling Oltrepo Pavese Metodo Classico was awarded its own DOCG classification in 2007.
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