Gutturnio is the symbol of Piacenza’s oenology, beloved by the people of this area and by producers who care and are willing to experiment. Thanks to their desire to find new ways to appreciate this wine, Gutturnio is no longer a bubbly young wine to be drunk over the year. The regulation sets the rules also for a still and a riserva version, which has to wait 2 years before being released and is wonderful when tasted.
Gutturnio is born by blending two complementary grapes: Barbera donates structure and strength, while Bonarda (locally called Croatina) gives elegance and smoothness. As these two grapes have different needs in the cellar, they are vinified separately and blended together only later, in a proportion that complies with the regulation and marks the specific style of the producing cellar.
Maybe you don’t know that
The name of this wine has ancient origin. Gutturnium was a big silver cup Romans used for drinking wine during feasts, sharing it with the other guests. But make sure you don’t drink too much! The consul Pisone, Julius Caesar’s father-in-law, was publicly criticised because of his excessive love for this wine!
Gutturnio today
In the marriage between Barbera and Bonarda, Gutturnio holds the main features of this land neighbouring Piedmont and Lombardy and its people. Shy and closed at first, Piacenza people open up with guests who they trust, laying rich tables with cold cuts of Piacenza and traditional first courses as dumplings with beans matched with the bubbles of Gutturnio. The still Gutturnio accompanies, instead, roasted and boiled pork, braised and grilled meat. And given that this blend particularly appreciated by Pisone is “the red for all occasions”, some producers are making a Passito version, to be tasted also with desserts!
