Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico
South of the Po, in the province of Pavia, the Oltrepò Pavese is the stretch of Apennine foothills that runs from Piedmont towards Emilia, cut by valleys running south to north. It is restless country, prone to landslides and erosion, where marls, sandy limestones, galestro and gypsum break the surface. Most of the vineyards are on Miocene formations — the youngest, the Messinian, a band of pale yellow marls with lenses of limestone around Montù Beccaria, Rovescala, Canneto Pavese and Santa Giuletta — with a few Pliocene conglomerates near Casteggio and Montebello della Battaglia. Continua a leggere ↓
- Livello
- DOCG
- Regione
- Lombardia
Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico in breve
Pinot Nero is the grape the area is known for, and its DOCG is reserved for sparkling wine made by bottle fermentation. Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico and its rosé must be at least 70 per cent Pinot Nero, with Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco making up the rest; a wine labelled Pinot Nero needs at least 85 per cent.
The wine spends at least 15 months on its lees before release, and a vintage wine at least 24, counted from bottling and never from before the first of January after the harvest. Sparkling Oltrepò was first recognised within the DOC in 1970 and became a DOCG in 2007.