Flying under the radar with Oltrepò Pavese sparkling rosé (#ItalianFWT)

Sometimes, an intrepid virtual traveler need only look on the other side of the mountain or river to discover a wine flying under the radar.

Such was my experience recently when I received an Oltrepò Pavese sparkling rosé from Susannah Gold, brand ambassador for Oltrepò in the U.S. Susannah invited the Italian Food, Wine and Travel (#ItalianFWT) blogging crew to sample wines from this region for the Twitter chat on Saturday, 2/5, starting at 8 am PT/11 am ET. If reading this post in time, you can join us by following the hashtag.

Please note that while the wine for this post was provided, opinions are my own.

Quick summary

Oltrepò translates as “other side of the Po.” The name refers to the Po River which runs through northern Italy from west to east before emptying into the Adriatic Sea. The largest river in Italy, the Po has a drainage basin covering 27,062 square miles and forming the country’s widest and most fertile plain. Pavese means “of or from Pavia,” a town in southwestern Lombardy about 20 miles south of Milan.

In the low-lying hills of Oltrepò Pavese, which, appropriately enough, hangs like a bunch of grapes on a map of Lombardy, winemakers produce sparkling, still and sweet wines from four main grapes: Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), Croatina, Barbera, Riesling and Pinot Grigio. If you think about this region’s location on the 45^th parallel, the same latitude as Oregon’s Willamette Valley, it’s not surprising to find Pinot Noir. Oltrepò is actually the third largest European growing for Pinot Noir after Burgundy and Champagne.

The region has about 160 producers and 1,300 growers. More than 32,000 acres of land is under vine, accounting for 60% of Lombardy viticulture. The region produces 75 million bottles of wine a year, including half a million bottles of bubbly, but unfortunately, exports only 15% of this output. That makes it difficult to find an Oltrepò wine in the U.S. What a shame!

Susannah describes Oltrepò in detail in her highly informative blog post, so let’s dive right into the sparkling rosé produced in this region.

Breaking it Down

Perhaps you’ve heard of Franciacorta, a popular sparkling wine from Lombardy? Franciacorta is made from grapes grown in the rapidly developing and well-regarded vineyards in the Alpine foothills of northern Lombardy, east of Milan. These wines are made in the Metodo Classico, the traditional method in which the secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle.

Oltrepò Pavese is another region where you can find these Champagne-like bubblies. Compared to the higher elevations up north, the Oltrepò Pavese region is lower down, on the plains, where you find higher humidity and temperatures.

The region has its own Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG), the highest-quality wine denomination, for Metodo Classico rosé. At least 70% of grapes must be Pinot Noir. These DOCG wines typically age 15 months on the lees (spent yeast cells); 24 months if a Millesimato (vintage) wine.

“Cruasé” on a bottle of Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico bubbly is a collective brand name that Consorzio Oltrepo Pavese members may use to identify rosé.

Sources: Britannica, Consorzio Oltrepo’ Pavese, wine-searcher

The producer and the wine
2015 Conti Dal Verme Metodo Classico Torre Degli Alberi Cruasé Brut Millesimato, Oltrepò Pavese DOCG Rosé, certified organic
100% Pinot Nero

Torre degli Alberi is a small town inside a 14th-century castle that has belonged to the Dal Vermes, an ancient noble family, for centuries. Originally from Verona, the Dal Vermes moved to Lombardy in the second half of the 14th century in service to the Viscontis. They were rewarded for their loyalty with the landed estate of Oltrepò Pavese.

The Dal Verme farm, located 1,640 feet above sea level in the hills of Oltrepò Pavese, was pasture for the wild breeding of Limousine cattle before Camillo Dal Verme and his nephew, Filippo, the current managers, got into growing grapes, specifically Pinot Noir. The vineyards are situated on a steep, south/southwest facing slope, an ideal aspect to capture the sun’s final rays of the day. The surrounding countryside is typical of the Apennine area of Italy: undulating hills; mountains in the background; woods of pines, oaks, chestnuts and hawthorne hedges; vineyards, meadows and cultivated fields.

Partially free-range cattle continue to enrich the clay/limestone soil of the Dal Verme farm with natural organic material. The cattle are put out to pasture for six months and live in open shelters, where calving takes place, for the other six months of the year. The farm also has chickens.

In these well-ventilated hills, hot summer days and cool nights favor spumante (sparkling wine) production, and with manure readily available to fertilize the soil, it’s no wonder Torre degli Alberi spumantes wines are certified organic. The soil is covered with grass to prevent erosion and controlled mechanically without the use of herbicides or pesticides. Chemical treatments are only those allowed by organic regulations.

In the cellar, too, “the strictest respect is maintained for regulations controlling organic production,” the website states. 

Warning: Geeky stuff ahead

After hand-harvesting, grapes are placed in small, ventilated crates and transported by refrigerated trucks to the cellar where they’re pressed gently, followed by fermentation at a low temperature for 15 days. Bâtonnage, the stirring of the settled lees back into the wine, continues for three months. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation (conversion of harsh malic into soft lactic acid) before tirage, the addition of yeast, wine and sugar to the base wine to create the secondary fermentation in the bottle. The wine is aged for at least 36 months. The sulfite content in these finished bubblies is far below the quantity permitted by organic regulations.

My tasting notes: Bright coral in color. Floral and peachy aromas on the nose, followed by a yeasty yet pleasantly sharp and tangy palate tasting of ripe red grapefruit with just a sprinkle of raw sugar. Persistent, fine bubbles. Alcohol: 12.5%. Average price: $16. I’d gladly buy this wine if only I could find it in the U.S.

The pairing: A Brut bubbly is a perfect food companion. That off-dry palate (6 grams residual sugar per liter) makes the wine a friend to spicy foods, such as the chicken tacos the spouse and I enjoyed for lunch the day we opened this bottle. On Day 2, mushroom risotto was on the lunch menu. Yum! This northern Italian classic and Cruasé were having a love fest with one another. The wine also segued easily to fruit and fig cookies for dessert.

Check out all the posts about this under-the-radar wine region!

• Payal of Keep the Peas shares Just Now Discovering Oltrepò Pavese.
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla adds Second Pours of Oltrepò Pavese Wines with BraisedShort Ribs and Puff Pastry.
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass brings Flying Under the Radar with an Oltrepò Pavese Sparkling Rosé.
• Terri from Our Good Life dishes about Stone Crabs with Oltrepò Pavese.
• Martin from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog showcases A Taste Of The Unsung Wines of Oltrepò Pavese.
• Deanna from Wineivore posts Wine for the Priest! from Oltrepo Pavese, Italy.
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! waxes about the Surprising Wines of Oltrepò Pavese.
• Rupal from Syrah Queen posts Oltrepò Pavese Wines -One of Italy’s Best Kept Secret.
• Gwendolyn from Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley showcases 2 Pinot Nero from Oltrepò Pavese with Polenta, Taleggio.
• David from Cooking Chat reflects on Tasting and Pairing with Oltrepo’ PaveseWines.
• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm checks out Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna paired with Oltrepo Pavese Wine.
• Liz from What’s In that Bottle suggests we Check Out ‘the Other Side of the Pó’ for Tasty Italian Wines.
• Jennifer from Vino Travels adds Pinot Nero in Abundance in the Oltrepò Pavese.
• Lisa from The Wine Chef writes Off The Beaten Path: Oltrepò Pavese, A Wine Region to Know About.
• Susannah from Avvinare writes about Wine Treasures To Be Found in Oltrepò Pavese.