The Wine Region of Oltrepò Pavese in Lombardia
Meet the Radici Odero Family
LIVE FROM ITALY
Friday, November 5, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm CDT via Zoom
Conversation will be in English
Do you want to discover one of Italy’s best-kept secret wine region - which many connoisseurs don’t even know about? Are you interested in the “Natural Wines” movement?
Also known as "Old Piedmont", Oltrepò Pavese is the largest and most productive sub-region in the southwestern corner of Lombardia, south of the Po (Oltre-Po means behind the river Po) bordering Piedmont on the west and Emilia-Romagna in the east. A few million years ago, the sea which covered the plain of the river Po, dried up and left different types of terrain in Oltrepò Pavese: red clay, iron ore, marl and lime. The shells one finds in the soil bear witness to this forgotten sea.
Thanks to the mild climate and the unique soil, this sub-region has made a name for itself as the stronghold of Italian Pinot Nero; producing both still and traditional sparkling wine. Another grape variety that is widespread in the Oltrepò, also red berried, is Croatina, which serves as the base of Bonarda wine. Both Pinot Nero and Croatina are concentrated in Oltrepò Pavese and account for about 70-75% of the entire Italian production. Other widely planted grapes include Barbera, Moscato Bianco, Riesling, Uva Rara and Vespolina.
Join us today to meet Valeria Radici Odero, the third generation of the Frecciarossa winery. Everything started when her great grandfather Mario Odero came back to Italy shortly after WW 1 and bought a beautiful 19th century mansion on top of a hill, exotically named «Frecciarossa,» which means «red arrow» in Italian. She still remembers her grandfather Mario as a sort of modern day renaissance man traveling to France to get first hand experience with Pinot Noir and sharing his newly developed wine with film director Alfred Hitchcock at Villa D’Este. Valeria returned to this land some years ago and joined her mother, Margherita, in managing the 78 acres organic estate planted with vineyards surrounded by wheat and alfalfa, hazel nut trees, fruit trees, vegetable gardens, goats, cows and bees. In this event, you will learn how they focus in producing delicious wine while keeping a careful eye on the environment and biodiversity.
Valeria will also introduce and guide us through the tasting of her wines.
Online Event
All registered participants will be sent the webinar recording.
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