A Sparkling New Wine Category & The Unique Origin of Piave Milk
At the 2022 Wine Media Conference attendees will have the opportunity to taste a wonderfully unique and, most likely, new flavor when they savor the pairing of Garda DOC Wine and Piave DOP Cheese. Want a taste of what makes each so specific? Keep reading!
A New Wine Catagory
Crafted amidst the gentle breezes of Lake Garda in northern Italy, the newly redefined DOC Garda centers on spumante, or sparkling wine. Born to combine the winemaking excellences of 10 historical appellations across the Lombardy and Veneto regions, Garda DOC offers a new opportunity to unify this territory through wine that embodies the values of Lake Garda: fun, conviviality, and the uniqueness of the Italian spirit.
Over the course of its history, Garda has maintained the ability to adapt to the styles of the time, particularly when it comes to winemaking, the driving force of the local economy and tourism. Thus, when modern consumers developed a penchant for bubbly, both as an aperitif and throughout the meal, local producers embraced sparkling wine production. This new horizon matured in a context of respect for the environment and enhancement of the local landscape heritage. This spurred the Garda DOC Consortium to amend the appellation’s regulations, adding a spumante that may bear the Garda DOC label- and serves to unite the territory as a whole.
The Origin of Piave Milk
The milk used for Piave DOP cheese must only come from the province of Belluno, the northernmost tip of the Veneto region, sandwiched between Trentino-Alto Adige to the northwest and Friuli-Venezia Giulia to the east. It is named after the Piave River, which originates at the peak of Mount Peralba in the Dolomites and traces a winding course through the dairy and cheese production land of Piave DOP, to the plain of Treviso. The climate here is typically alpine, with cool summers and snowy winters.
Piave DOP cheese is largely produced from the milk of typical cattle breeds of the production area: Bruna italiana (Italian Brown), Grigio
Alpina (Alpine Gray), Pezzata Rossa italiana (Italian Spotted Red), and Frisona italiana (Italian Frisian or Holstein). Stanchion tied stabling is common, at times combined with mountain grazing in the summer months. The feed is typically abundant and low in cost, namely meadow grass fodder, supplemented with cereals, grains, and corn, as long as it’s of excellent quality.
2022 Wine Media Conference attendees will see Garda DOC and Piave DOP at our Thursday Welcome Reception and again with a more in-depth tasting on Saturday, October 1, for a Discovery Session.
