Oltrepò Pavese, Lombardy is well known for its Metodo Classico wines. Oltrepò Pavese's Metodo Classico is one of Italy's five sparkling wines, which include Prosecco, Lambrusco, Franciacorta, Metodo Classico, and Asti Spumante. Fortunately La Versa's sparkling winery was included in our Oltrepò Pavese wine country October visit. When we visited this wine cooperative we were introduced to a fabulous lineup of La Versa sparkling wines. Given that Oltrepò Pavese wine making history is at least 2000 years old, there is so much to explore in this wine region. Moreover, there is a long tradition of sparkling wines being produced here. Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), the major grape variety grown in the wine region, is used to make sparkling wines and still red wines. Given the region has become well know for its Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico wines then La Versa is a must for those of us who love bubbles.
La Versa, Sparkling Wines
La Versa sparkling wines are amongst some of the best. Its history of making sparkling wines using the method traditional in Oltrepò Pavese is not new. La Versa, a cooperative winery, has been producing wine for over one hundred years. The founder of La Versa, Cesare Gustavo Faravelli, together with the first 22 shareholders, in May 1905 decided that they were going to produce top-quality wines, expressive of the best grapes in the region. The grape chosen was Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), which has adapted well to the area’s soil and climate. Oltrepò Pavese Pinot Nero is used to produce characterful reds and elegant refined traditional method sparkling wines. While La Versa has grown over the years, by adding more shareholders and farmers, it has focused on producing to quality sparkling wines. La Versa has become a well-known brand because of its sparkling wines that they began producing in the 1930s. La Versa’s Gran Spumante Brut produced in 1935 was the first Italian traditional method sparkling wine.
It is important to note that Oltrepò Pavese produces more than half of the wine in Lombardy. There are almost 10,000 acres of Pinot Nero vines in Oltrepò Pavese, making it a Pinot Nero capital. Typically its climate leads to grapes ripening too soon, hence it is well suited to the Pinot Nero needed for sparkling wines. Moreover, picking the grapes at an early stage of skin ripeness means they have a good balance of acidity and sugar, which ideal for sparkling wines. La Versa was of the first to capitalize on this opportunity.
Oltrepò Pavese, Lombardy © SpaswinefoodPavia Province's Oltrepò Pavese is home to stunning landscape. While north of the Po River is characterized by plains, south of the river, the hills and mountains, make it ideal for grape cultivation. La Versa is south of the Po River. As guests of the Consorzio Tutela Vini Oltrepò Pavese, Pavia Province we came to discover this region's wines. La Versa was the ideal place to learn about Oltrepò Pavese's sparkling wines.
La Versa Founded in 1905 © Spaswinefood
Before sitting down to taste the wines we did a brief tour of the wine cellar.
Sparkling Wine Cellar © Spaswinefood
The wine cellar had both machines for ranking the sparkling wines and traditional ones.
The cellar was also decorated with posters of wines produced at the winery.
After visiting the wine cellar we can back upstairs where we gathered around a table in the tasting room (Sala Degustazioni).
Once back upstairs we gathered around the table for a wine tasting.
Soon we would be introduced to their sparkling wines.
That day I tasted four of their sparkling wines wines.
Amongst the sparkling wines that I tasted were the following:
1. La Versa, Metodo Classico Brut Millesimato 2018
2. La Versa, Metodo Classico Testarossa DOCG 2016
The two tasted were vintage sparkling wines.
The next wine was a 2008 vintage.
3. La Versa, Metodo Classico Brut Collezione 2008
The fourth wine was a rosé sparkling wine.
4. La Versa, Pinot Nero Rosa Brut, Metodo Classico Milleimato 2018
In conclusion this tasting was a great introduction to La Versa's sparkling wines. I was impressed by the overall high quality of these wines.
If you love bubbles then you will love Oltrepò Pavese's La Versa sparkling wines.
In the tasting room there were displays of some of the sparkling wine brands produced at La Versa.
After this impressive tasting at La Versa we looked forward to continuing our exploration of Oltrepò Pavese sparkling wines.
Lombardy's Oltrepò Pavese
A large and geographically complex region, Lombardy has 5 DOCGs, 21 DOCs and 15 IGPs titles. Lombardy's home to handful of popular and well-known wine styles including the bright, cherry-scented Valtellina, Franciacorta sparkling wines, and Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico. The Oltrepò Pavese stands out among these as one of the larger regions, known not only for its sparkling Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG, but for its other wines. During our #WMC22 visit to Oltrepò Pavese we so delighted in being introduced to the wines.
In the case of Pinot Nero the region is best know for its Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG, with Cruase being its flagship wine. The list includes: Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG, Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico Cruase DOCG, and Pinot Nero Della’ Oltrepò Pavese DOC. During our visit over cheese and meat platters, lunch, or dinner we were introduced to many excellent wines. For sure the wine cooperative La Versa introduced us to a fabulous lineup of sparkling wines.
La Versa, Sparkling Wines
If you love bubbles then you will love Oltrepò Pavese's La Versa Metodo Classico sparkling wines. Special thanks to La Versa and to Consorzio Tutela Vini Oltrepò Pavese for introducing us to Italy's best kept wine secrets. Travelers will be impressed by the charm of Oltrepò Pavese towns and its wineries. Oltrepò Pavese sparkling wines are world class wines. Besides the fabulous Oltrepò Pavese wines this is an area that is naturally beautiful and so very authentic. We look forward to sharing more on our vine-filled explorations in Lombardy's Oltrepò Pavese. We invite you to join us in our wine travels in Italy at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Twitter and Facebook.
These sparkling wines sound divine! What a great group to enjoy them with!
ReplyDeleteYES to both!!
Delete