Beyond the Po

I love no man’s lands, those places where different cultures, languages and traditions overlap. Italy is full of such places with its history of towns and small region states that still have problems understanding each other. A prime example is Oltrepò Pavese which is now part of Lombardy but between 1743 and 1859 was under the rule of the Savoy family and thus part of Piedmont. It is a wedge of Lombardy that separates the Piacenza province of the Emilia region from the Alessandra one in Piedmont to then almost extend to Liguria. The dialects vary depending on the area of influence with Genoese spoken to the south, Lombard to the north and Emilian to the east, while to the west they speak with the soft French ‘R’ of Alessandria. What unites all these areas is the wine, which is always red and can be sparkling or still. The production of sparkling wines is relatively recent but of top quality.

Oltrepò (Beyond the Po) has established itself as a producer of great traditional method sparkling wines like Cruasé, a rosé made from Pinot Noir. Not everyone knows this but after Burgundy, Oltrepò Pavese has the most vineyards of this prestigious grape. The area has two winemaking faces, one leans towards old, peasant traditions in which the red wines are sometimes bubbly, the other more technical and modern and produces sparkling wines.

Among the many producers here is Pier Angelo Boatti, the son of Carlo, whose Monsupello estate has for decades now made its mark outside Lombardy. His various Oltrepò sparkling wines are all distinguished by their consistent and high level of quality and reasonable prices.

His Pinot Nero Nature, obviously made off the skins, is an authentic masterpiece and has raked in prizes from all of Italy’s leading wine guides. Pier Angelo is undoubtedly a technical wizard production-wise but he is also a romantic, one with a boundless passion who is really not that different, at least in regard to intention and spirit, from the Italy’s great farmer-winemakers.

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