What to drink this week

Gavi that excites

I’ve tasted Gavi regularly over the years and tended to think this was a classic example, to put it bluntly, of over-priced, over-neutral Italian white. The Piedmontese wine made from the Cortese grape could be fresh and elegant, but I struggled to discern much character. And Gavi, which has a certain cachet in Italy, has never come cheap.

Finally, these Italian whites are something to write home about, exclaims Harry Eyres

Why you should be drinking it

Tasting the wines of the La Mesma estate with the owner, Paola Rosina, has changed my view. As, for example, in Muscadet, exciting results come from the devoted tending of prime hillside plots, keeping yields low and using organic methods, followed by careful work in the winery, with only wild yeast and cement vats. The Cortese grape, like Muscadet’s Melon de Bourgogne, is never going to display exotic aromatics, but it can be a faithful and satisfying transmitter of the character of a site.

What to drink

Why not start with a slightly sparkling or frizzante Gavi? Gavi le Bolle 2015 (£9.05 excluding VAT; www. raeburnfinewines.com) has an attractive, buttery quality and is satisfyingly full while still being fresh, with a nice prickle. La Mesma’s Gavi Yellow Label 2015 (right, £9.60 excluding VAT; www.raeburn finewines.com) is full-bodied, almost creamy, with lovely ripeness. Gavi INDI 2015 (£11.95 excluding VAT; www.raeburn finewines.com), a selection from top sites, is more intense on the nose, with more layers of flavour and an intriguing note of fennel. Finally, La Mesma’s top wine, Gavi Black Label (£12.55 excluding VAT; www.raeburnfinewines.com), is fine, intense and powerful, with a long minerally finish— far away from the blandness of much commercial Gavi.