A Passion for Piedmont, Part 2: Once Upon a Time

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

Alright, so the second half of my belated Wine Blogging Wednesday post on grapes from the Piedmont region of Italy. This is the wine I'm truly excited about. You see, Piedmont is known for its reds, but I'm going to be a little different and review a white – a wine made from the Cortese di Gavi grape, from the town of Gavi (or Gavia).

I also love fairy tales, and I think that's part of why I'm so enamoured with this wine. I like to believe that every glass of wine tells a story, from grape to glass to the memories created when drinking it. Principessa Gavia comes with a special story of its own.

2007 Vigne Regali (Banfi) Principessa Gavia (Cork and Bottle, $14.99)

Once upon a time, there was a princess named Gavia, daughter of King Clovis. Our fair princess fell in love with a lowly soldier. As their love was forbidden, Gavia and the soldier ran away, fleeing to a small town on the other side of the alps. They managed to elude the king's men for a while.

But one night, the soldier had too much of the local white wine (made from 100% Cortese grapes) and accidentally confided his story to the local innkeeper. Our innkeeper promptly sent word to King Clovis and collected a reward. (Why are innkeepers often the bad guys?)

Gavia and her soldier were rounded up and delivered back to the king for punishment. By the time they arrived back at the palace, word of their situation had spread across the land. Queen Alamansunta, Queen of the Goths, interceded on Gavia's behalf. Because this is somewhat of a fairy tale, the king took one look at his daughter, so obviously in love, and blessed the marriage. As a wedding gift, he gave them the small town to which they had fled and named the town Gavi, in honor of his daughter.

Today it is said that the romance of the Princess and the soldier lives on in each glass of the white wine from the town of Gavi.

I was trying this wine over the summer at a Cork and Bottle tasting when I read the back of the bottle, which gives a small synopsis of that story. I was sold. I admit it. The thing is, it's a fun wine – even without the accompanying tale.

This wine is 100% Cortese and is a pale blonde in color (perhaps like the hair of the Princess?). It has a lot of crisp minerals and lemony-freshness on the nose. In the mouth, it reminds me of sorbet. Sorbet cleanses your palate between courses and the Principessa Gavia had that effect on me. There was a lemon-lime flavor, and a lot of cleanness, like a flat rock overrun by a stream. In fact, it's a bit tart, and reminded me of a lemon tart pastry.

The wine tastes cleansing and fresh. I think it is a bit deceptive, as it tastes so light, but it does a nice job of coating your mouth. That said, I think it's more of a $12-13 wine than $15, but who am I to quibble with $2? The truth is, Kevin and I both found this wine to be light, refreshing, and enjoyable. It was an easy easy wine to drink – we powered through the bottle. At a lower price, I'd buy a case.

Our rating: