Gavi is a white wine from Piedmont, produced exclusively from the local Cortese grape. Cortese in Italian means "courteous" and the wines are aptly named, as they are medium-bodied with attractive pear and melon fruit with good, but not overwhelming acidity.

The Gavi production zone is in the province of Alessandria, with some of the vineyards located not far from the Ligurian border. This is a relatively cool area, thus ideal for maintaining proper acidity and structure for the wines.

Gavi was quite popular in the 1980s, but has has limited success, due in some part to the popularity of another Italian white, Pinot Grigio. However, currently there are a handful of artisan producers that are crafting more complex versions of Gavi, some from biodynamic vineyards, some aging their wines in barriques.

Drink most Gavi wihtin three to five years, although a few versions from older vines can age for a decade or more. Pair with lighter seafood or risotto.