The Story

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The San Matteo winery, located right North of the 44 parallel, was founded in 1999 by winemaker Massimo Diotto. Primarily limestone soils in the lower valley. More mineral driven with lighter structure. Fresh and crisp. Italy’s Piedmont region is famous worldwide for its red wines from the Nebbiolo grape- after all, this is the home of Barolo and Barbaresco. However, Piedmont is also home to some delicious, if lesser-known, whites, led by the crisp, fruity and refreshing wines from the Cortese di Gavi grape. Colloquially, the wine is just known as Gavi, a name that comes from the town that’s at the center of its production region in the southern hills of Piedmont, near the border with Liguria. The San Matteo winery is something of a baby in these ancient hills, having only been around since 1999, but the goal in its founding was to create signature Gavi wines. The timing of the estate’s founding is less surprising when you learn that Gavi was given DOCG status, Italy’s highest appellation designation, in 1998, imposing important legal safeguards of quality—lowering yields, allowing bottling only within the production area—that make efforts like San Matteo’s to produce a superior Gavi all the more worthwhile.

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