# Chardonnay Vino Varietale d'Italia (NV)

- **Producer:** Cantine Pirovano
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chardonnay
- **Region:** Veneto, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 11.5%
- **Average price:** €5
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now
- **Serving temperature:** 6–8 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apple, melon, blossom

## About this wine

Cantine Pirovano, located in Lombardy, Italy, is a historic family-owned winery established in 1910. The estate's origins date back to a 19th-century tavern run by Amadio Pirovano, which eventually transitioned into a formal bottling and wholesale business under his sons. Today, the fourth generation of the Pirovano family—Enzo, Laura, and Beatrice—directs the company. They combine deep-rooted Italian winemaking traditions with state-of-the-art, sterile bottling technologies to produce reliable, accessible wines designed for everyday enjoyment. This Chardonnay is sourced from select vineyards across Italy, crafted to offer a clean, approachable expression of the grape.

## Interesting facts

- The winery began as a mid-19th-century tavern called 'Da Pirovano,' which sold bulk wines sourced from local smallholder farmers.
- Cantine Pirovano operates a highly automated 45,000-square-meter facility in Calco, bottling approximately 30 million bottles annually.
- Unlike many buttery, oak-aged Chardonnays, this Italian bottling is entirely unoaked to emphasize crisp mineral sapidity and fresh fruit.

## Food pairing

This light-bodied, crisp Chardonnay thrives alongside delicate dishes that match its high acidity and fresh profile. Its subtle mineral sapidity and lack of oak make it an excellent partner for light seafood, poultry, and fresh cheeses, where it cleanses the palate without competing with heavy sauces.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process for this Chardonnay focuses entirely on preserving fresh, primary fruit characteristics and vibrant acidity. Grapes are harvested at optimal phenolic ripeness and undergo a gentle soft pressing. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats to maintain a clean profile. To ensure stability and preserve its delicate varietal aromas, the wine undergoes cold stabilization and sterile physical filtration before bottling. It is completely unoaked and aged briefly in stainless steel tanks, ensuring a crisp, fresh release to the market.