Let's Talk About Cortese and Barbera Grapes: Two Wines from the Historical Underground Wine Cellars of Coppo + Pairings #WorldWineTravel

This is a bonus event for our wine writers' group. Jeff of Food Wine Click! offered us the opportunity to explore Coppo Wine Cellars. We all received a selection of wines to pour and pair. Here we go...for an extra #WorldWineTravel event!

The Line-Up

• Camilla from Culinary Cam says Let’s Talk About Cortese and Barbera Grapes: Two Wines from the Historical Underground Wine Cellars of Coppo + Pairings (you're here).

•  David from Cooking Chat shares “Pairings for Coppo Barbera and Moscato d’Asti “

•  Payal from Keep the Peas shares “Coppo Winery 2023 Chardonnay ‘Costebianche’ x Vegetarian Punjabi Food”

• Linda from My Full Wine Glass shares Two Piedmont classics: Nizza Barbera and Moscato d’Asti.

• Jennifer from Vino Travels shares The Historic Coppo winery of Piedmont and their UNESCO underground wine cellars.

• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles reports on “Tunnels and Tufa – The Underground Cathedrals and Coppo Cellars”

• Terri at Our Good Life shares The Perfect Blend: Exploring Coppo Wines, From Nizza Barbera to Coppo Monteriolo Chardonnay and Delicious Food Pairings.

• Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog shares Historic Wines, Timeless Pairings: Coppo’s Nizza Barbera and Barolo with Wild Mushroom Risotto.

•  Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “From Coppo’s UNESCO Cellars: Nizza and Gavi Paired with Shrimp Ceasar and Duck with Winter Squash Gratin”

• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares “Chardonnay From One of the Oldest Family-Run Wineries in Italy – Coppo”

•  Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares Dinner with Coppo Wine Cellars Flagship ‘Pomorosso’ Nizza Barbera.

The History

Coppo is a family-owned winery that they established in Canelli in 1892. For four generations - and over 130 years - they have embraced the winemaking traditions of Piedmont while championing new techniques with a pioneering spirit. Being one of the first to capture their vineyard's terroir with estate bottling, they have produced a variety of acclaimed wines, including Barbera d'Asti, Moscato d'Asti, and other sparkling wines for which the region is renowned.

There is evidence of winemaking in Canelli that dates back to the Roman era. The limestone-rich soils imbue the wines with a rich minerality and the rolling landscape produces the ideal microclimate for growing grapes.

Historical Underground Wine Cellars

The winery and cellars of Coppo are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Carved deep into the tufa rocks below Canelli, the cellars date back to the 16th century. The labyrinthine Underground Cathedrals, as the family calls them, reach over fifty thousand square feet and over one hundred and thirty feet deep.

Being recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Sites means that it contains "cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity and, as such, has legal protection by an international convention administered by UNESCO.

Now that we know where the grapes are grown and the wines are made, let's talk about Cortese and Barbera grapes.

Barbera

One of the most widely planted native grapes in Italy, Barbera boasts low tannins, high acidity, a gorgeous concentrated color. With its usual subtle red fruit, delicate spice, and dry finish, Barbera is one of my favorite Italian varieties to pair.

In May 2016, I shared a 2012 Cantina Casteggio Barbera from the Oltrepo Pavese appellation in my #ItalianFWT offering: Sbrisolona and Cantina Casteggio Barbera. In October 2021 I partnered with Q.B. Cucina and Wine365 to share Olive Malfadine and a pairing with Michele Chiarlo Cipressi Barbera Nizza DOCG 2018. And in March 2021, I shared Cheesy Bites, a Colorful Board, and a Barbera...from California.

Nizza DOCG Pomorosso

Pomorosso played a key role in bringing Coppo to the world stage. This single varietal is labeled as Nizza DOCG, Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, that was created in 2014 to recognize the highest quality Barbera from a restricted territory around Nizza Monferrato. Pomorosso grapes are sourced from the best vineyards in Nizza, Agliano, and Castelnuovo Calcea.

The Pomorosso poured a dark purplish red. On the nose, I noted persistent floral notes with layers of red fruit and warm spices. Those aromas were mirrored on the palate and the wine was powerful and rich. The slight tang of pomegranates are softened with a year in barrique.

I poured this wine two nights in a row. The first evening we had my version of Üç bacı, Azerbaijani stuffed veggies. I will be sharing the recipes for those soon, but just imagine eggplant, bell peppers, and tomatoes stuffed with a tomato-based lamb filling. The second night, I stuffed roasted sweet potatoes with a quinoa pilaf topped with feta cheese; I also served a burrata salad with late summer tomatoes and a garlic-heavy pesto topping.

Cortese

Native to Piemonte, Cortese is a brilliant example of the stunning white wines that winemakers familiar with the grape and the region can do. In January 2020 the #ItalianFWT group turned their eyes toward Italian wines produced by cooperatives. I shared a 2018 Gavi Il Forte from Produttori del Gavi.

Gavi DOCG La Rocca

Coppo's Gavi is a quintessential white Piedmontese made from 100% Cortese grapes, and vinified in stainless steel. The Rocca Estate has been managed by the family since the early 1980s where they cultivate five hectares of Cortese on a north-to-south ridge in the Montero hills.

The wine poured a pale straw hue with aromas of citrus and green apple. On the palate the lime and bergamot flavors were met with a dry minerality and the tinge of white pepper.

I poured the Gavi DOCG La Rocca with a dinner that represented a last grasp of summer meals with late garden tomatoes and fresh pesto from the last of the basil plants. Roasted salmon is always a quick favorite meal. And a green salad with the first of the season's persimmons was a delight.

Roasted Salmon

• salmon fillets

• olive oil

• salt, pepper, and sumac

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place fillets, or chunks, on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sumac. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the size or thickness of the slices. You want them opaque and cooked through, but not dry!

Pesto

Pesto is a sauce that originated in the Ligurian region of northern Italy. Pesto genovese, from Genoa, traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil, and pine nuts blended with olive oil and Parmigiano Reggiano. The name derives from the Italian verb pestare which means to pound or to crush, referring to the original way of preparing it - with a mortar and pestle. The ingredients in a traditional pesto are ground with a circular motion of the pestle in the mortar. Now I use a food processor. It's much easier! And...I use whatever greens and nuts I happen to have on-hand. So, for this version, I made a pesto with basil and pistachios.

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves, rinsed, dried, and destemmed

• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled

• 1/2 cup whole raw pistachios

• 3/4 cup shredded parmesan

• juice from 1 organic lemon (I used Meyer lemon because my parents have a tree in their backyard)

• olive oil as needed

Place all of the ingredients into the blender or the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times, drizzle in a few glugs of olive oil, and resume pulsing. Pulse. Oil. Pulse. Oil.

If you want a smoother, sauce-like pesto, add more olive oil and blend longer; if you want a chunkier pesto, use less oil and blend for less time. So simple. So fresh. So fragrant.

For Serving

Place the roasted salmon on a serving platter or plate. Top the salmon with dollops of pesto. Scatter fresh pomegranate arils over the top. Serve immediately.

That's a wrap on my extra-curricular offering for the Coppo event. I will be sharing the remaining recipes soon. Cin cin!