Wine Tasting
with typical products from the Oltrepò Pavese
STANDARD TASTING MENU
Selection of cured meats from Oltrepò Pavese
paired with a glass of IGT red wine (1,11)
Selection of cheeses
paired with a glass of IGT white wine (1,3,4,11)
Slice of cake
paired with a glass of IGT Moscato wine (1,4,11,12)
€25.00 per person
COMPLETE TASTING MENU
Selection of cured meats from Oltrepò Pavese
paired with a glass of IGT red wine (1,11)
White wine risotto
paired with a glass of IGT white wine (4,11)
Selection of cheeses
paired with a glass of IGT white wine (1,3,4,11)
Slice of cake
paired with a glass of IGT Moscato wine (1,4,11,12)
€35.00 per person
À LA CARTE
Selection of cured meats from Oltrepò Pavese (1,11) — €7.50
Selection of cheeses, served with artisan grape must and red grape jellies (1,3,4) — €7.50
White wine risotto
(minimum 2 people per table; price per serving) (1,4,11) — €12.00
Homemade dessert (1,4,11,12) — €7.00
Water 0.75 l (still or sparkling) — €2.00
Coffee — €1.50
Dishes cannot be divided and served on two separate plates.
Water, coffee, grappa, additional glasses of wine and any items not expressly indicated are not included in Smartbox packages or tasting menus.
Courses and glasses of wine included in the Smartbox offer cannot be discounted, exchanged or substituted
FOOD INTOLERANCES AND ALLERGENS
Please inform our staff of any food allergies or intolerances before ordering and ask about any alternative dishes that may be available.
Allergens:
(1) Gluten (2) Peanuts and peanut products (3) Nuts (4) Milk and dairy products (11) Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (12) Eggs and egg products
FOUR WINES AND FOUR LOCAL FOOD PAIRINGS
The tasting consists of four dishes paired with four wines produced by our winery. The experience is designed to tell the story of our wine, our family and our territory through both the glass and the local cuisine.
CLASSE DEL VENTITRÉ PAIRED WITH CURED MEATS FROM OLTREPÒ PAVESE
The wine
The first wine I am serving you is called Classe del Ventitré. It is a still red IGT wine, vintage 2024, with an alcohol content of 13% vol. It is made from 50% Cabernet, 25% Barbera and 25% Croatina.
The name Classe del Ventitré refers to the class of 1923, a particularly important year for our family. This wine is dedicated to four people: my two grandfathers, paternal and maternal, and two of my uncles, again one on my father’s side and one on my mother’s side, all of whom were born in 1923.
They were friends who already knew each other in everyday life and who, as fate would have it, later became relatives when my mother and father married in 1985.
On that occasion, during a dinner in 1985, the four members of the class of 1923 found themselves sitting together at the same table. To celebrate, they opened a bottle of red wine from the 1923 vintage. The wine was therefore 62 years old and, when tasted, was still well preserved and enjoyable. The name Classe del Ventitré comes from this family memory.
eh ave produced Classe del Ventitré for two vintages, the first being 2022. It is a wine that undergoes a light period of barrel ageing and, among the wines we produce, it is the one I consider most suitable for ageing.
Thanks to its structure and characteristics, it pairs particularly well with cured meats, red meats, braised meats and grilled dishes.
The pairing
With Classe del Ventitré, we serve a selection of cured meats consisting of coppa, pancetta and salame, all traditional products of the Oltrepò Pavese.
These cured meats come from the more mountainous part of the Oltrepò, specifically from the area around Montesegale, and are produced by a small artisanal butcher that does not produce cured meats for large-scale retail, but instead supplies private customers, agriturismi and restaurants.
This represents an added value because these cured meats have particularly intense aromas and well-defined flavours, characteristics that are difficult to find in products intended for mass distribution.
The pairing is harmonious and balanced: the flavours and aromas of the cured meats complement those of the wine without either overpowering the other.
WHITE-VINIFIED PINOT NOIR PAIRED WITH CARNAROLI RISOTTO
The wine
The second wine in the tasting is our white-vinified Pinot Noir. It is a white wine from the 2025 vintage, with an alcohol content of 12% vol., made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes.
In appearance, it is straw yellow with a slight copper hue. This colour comes from the white vinification of Pinot Noir: although Pinot Noir is a red grape variety, in this case it is vinified as if it were a white grape, avoiding prolonged contact with the skins. In this way, the wine does not acquire the tannins or colour typically associated with red-wine vinification.
Since it is nevertheless a red grape, a slight copper pigment remains. This can be seen even more clearly in rooms with neutral or completely white surroundings, such as those used by wine-tasting panels and commissions.
This slight copper hue also reflects our decision to intervene as little as possible in the cellar: we use minimal clarification and limit processing to what is strictly necessary, so as not to alter the natural character of the wine.
Pinot Noir is an extremely versatile red grape variety. It can be vinified as a white, red or rosé wine. When vinified as a red wine, it generally produces more structured wines, often suitable for ageing. White and rosé versions can be produced as still wines or in different styles containing carbon dioxide.
For sparkling wines, we mainly distinguish between two methods. The Martinotti Method, also known as the Charmat Method, involves a second fermentation in a pressurised tank and is generally used to produce fresh and fragrant wines.
The Traditional Method, or Metodo Classico, historically associated with the méthode champenoise, involves secondary fermentation directly in the bottle, followed by ageing on the lees, which may last for months, years or, in some cases, very long periods.
A sparkling wine can also be vintage, when it is mainly associated with a specific harvest year declared on the label, or it can be a cuvée, produced by blending different wines, sometimes from different vintages.
According to residual sugar levels, moving approximately from driest to sweetest, the main categories are: Brut Nature or Pas Dosé, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Dry, Demi-Sec and Sweet.
The pairing
The dish served with this wine is a risotto prepared with Carnaroli Classico rice, a variety particularly representative of the province of Pavia.
The risotto is finished with butter and a sprinkling of Grana cheese, and during cooking it is deglazed with our Pinot Noir — the same wine you have in your glass. The wine therefore becomes an ingredient in the dish itself.
During cooking, the alcohol content is greatly reduced, while the freshness provided by the acidity, together with the flavours and aromas of the Pinot Noir, remains perceptible. This creates a harmonious and balanced pairing.
The two main rice-growing areas in the province of Pavia are Lomellina and Basso Pavese. We have chosen a Carnaroli Classico produced in Zerbo, in the Basso Pavese area, by a farm whose production is closely connected to the local supply chain and intended for private customers, agriturismi, restaurants and selected operators.
PINOT GRIGIO PAIRED WITH A SELECTION OF CHEESES
The wine
The third wine in the tasting is Pinot Grigio, a still wine from the 2025 vintage, made from 100% Pinot Grigio grapes. Its alcohol content is just under 12%, approximately 11.8% vol.
In appearance, it has a moderately intense straw-yellow colour. On the palate, we find moderate acidity, which in wine-tasting terminology is perceived as freshness. This moderate freshness is one of the typical characteristics of Pinot Grigio, particularly when it is vinified as a single-varietal wine.
Pinot Grigio belongs to the Pinot family, which includes several grape varieties. Among the best known are Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Blanc. Pinot Noir is particularly important and widespread in the Oltrepò Pavese, while Pinot Blanc is more common in other wine-growing areas of northern Italy, including Trentino-Alto Adige.
Although it is generally used to produce wines classified as white wines, Pinot Grigio does not have completely white skins. During ripening, the berries can develop colours ranging from greyish pink to copper tones, particularly in the ripest parts of the bunches and those most exposed to sunlight.
Despite this pigmentation of the skins, Pinot Grigio is normally vinified like a white grape, producing its characteristic straw-yellow wine.
The pairing
With the Pinot Grigio, we serve a selection of cheeses, which we will briefly introduce before you taste them. Most of these cheeses come from the mountainous area of the Oltrepò Pavese, in the south-western part of the territory.
You will find three goat’s cheeses with three different ageing periods, accompanied by three preserves produced directly by us: a Moscato preserve, a Croatina preserve, and a fig and grappa preserve.
The selection is completed by Grana Padano and Gorgonzola served with walnuts.
Once again, we have aimed for a harmonious and balanced pairing. Thanks to its delicate structure and moderate freshness, Pinot Grigio complements the different cheeses without overpowering their flavours and aromas. At the same time, the cheeses and preserves do not overwhelm the characteristics of the wine.
MOSCATO PAIRED WITH SORIASCO PASSITO TIRAMISÙ
The wine
As the final wine of the tasting, we serve our Moscato, classified as IGT Provincia di Pavia – Partially Fermented Grape Must, made from 100% Moscato grapes, vintage 2024, with an alcohol content of 4.5% vol.
In appearance, it is straw yellow and lightly sparkling. On the palate, its sweetness is immediately noticeable, but its aromas are even more distinctive: apple, pear, fresh fruit and white flowers, accompanied by delicate notes that may recall vanilla.
One of the main characteristics of our Moscato is its low alcohol content. We deliberately keep it low in order to highlight the aromatic qualities of the grape itself, which is naturally very fragrant and characterised by intense flavours.
During fermentation, yeasts progressively convert the sugars present in the must into alcohol and carbon dioxide. By stopping fermentation while a significant proportion of the sugars has not yet been converted, we obtain a partially fermented grape must, with a low alcohol content and a significant amount of residual sugar.
If fermentation were allowed to continue further, more sugar would be converted into alcohol, resulting in a wine with a higher alcohol content and a drier taste, with a different aromatic and flavour balance.
The secret of our Moscato style therefore lies in its low alcohol content and residual sugar, which enhance the grape’s natural aromatic qualities.
The dessert pairing
With the Moscato, you will taste a Soriasco Passito tiramisù, our own interpretation of the traditional Italian dessert.
Passito di Soriasco is made from the same Moscato grapes used to produce the wine in your glass, but through a different winemaking process.
The grapes are harvested later in the season and then left to dry naturally on racks. During this drying process, they lose approximately 70% of their water content, concentrating their sugars, flavours and aromas. The grapes are then pressed around the middle of October.
The resulting wine is first aged in a tank, then in barriques, and finally in the bottle. It is generally ready around Christmas of the following year.
What makes this tiramisù particularly distinctive is that we use neither coffee nor Marsala. Instead, we use our own Passito di Soriasco, which becomes one of the defining ingredients of the dessert.
The pairing with Moscato is harmonious and balanced. Moscato and Passito are produced from the same grape variety, but through two different winemaking methods.
In the glass, we have a Moscato that is fresh, fragrant, sweet and aromatic. In the tiramisù, through the Passito, we find more concentrated and evolved expressions of the aromas of the same grape.
The aromas and flavours of the Moscato therefore echo those found in the tiramisù, creating a sense of continuity between the wine and the dessert and bringing the tasting experience to a close according to the same principle that guides all the previous pairings: balance, harmony and the mutual enhancement of flavours.
HISTORY AND PRODUCTION OF THE WINERY
Our winery was founded in 1906. However, we have kept 1912 as the reference year on our sign and wine labels because it is the earliest year for which we have written records documenting the sale and distribution of our bottled wine.
Wine, however, had always been produced by our family, even before 1912. Before 1906, the farm was located about 500 metres from here, across the regional border in the province of Piacenza. At that time, it was mainly a traditional mixed farm, devoted primarily to crops and livestock. There were also some vineyards and wine was already being made, but wine production was not yet the farm’s main activity.
The turning point came in 1906. Why that particular year? Because one year earlier, in 1905, the Cantina Sociale di Santa Maria della Versa, the cooperative winery located at the entrance to the village, had been founded in the Versa Valley.
Although the winery had only recently been established, it already required large quantities of grapes to produce wines that were also intended for export, as there was already significant demand for wine on international markets. However, the cooperative could only accept grapes grown by producers from the Versa Valley.
My great-grandfather, who knew the owner and founder of Cantina La Versa, therefore decided, together with his brothers, to move to a different area and change the focus of their agricultural activity. They purchased four adjoining farms forming a single block of land, all originating from the subdivision of an old marquisate. From that point onwards, they began producing larger quantities of grapes to supply Cantina La Versa.
We could say that it was quite a bold decision, as it meant completely changing both location and type of production, but it ultimately proved to be the right choice. About 120 years later, the Versa Valley is covered with vineyards and has become a renowned wine-producing area, both nationally and internationally. The area where the farm was previously located, on the other hand, although only about 500 metres away as the crow flies, is still mainly devoted to crops and livestock.
The part of the winery where winemaking takes place dates back to the 1960s. We do not purchase grapes or wine. We also neither lease land from others nor rent out any of our own land: all our production comes exclusively from vineyards that we own.
As far as production is concerned, approximately half of our grapes are sold to other wineries, which then produce and market wine under their own brands. The other half is vinified directly by us. Of the wine we produce, some is sold in bulk, while the rest is bottled. We produce approximately 35,000 bottles per year, mainly for private customers, restaurants and wine shops.
The entire winemaking process takes place here, from crushing the grapes through to bottling. We will not go into too much detail about crushing and winemaking techniques, as these are quite lengthy and technical processes. What is important to emphasise, however, is that all the grapes used to produce our own wines are harvested by hand.
Our wines are made exclusively from grapes hand-harvested on our own estate. We therefore purchase neither grapes nor wine: the entire production process takes place within the winery, from harvesting through to bottling.
For this reason, our bottles can carry the wording “integrally produced and bottled at origin” (integralmente prodotto e imbottigliato all’origine). This designation indicates that all the main stages of production are carried out within the estate itself.
Our white wines are generally ready in December, while our red wines usually require more time and are ready between February and April.
The only exception among our red wines is Riccardino, a wine made without added sulphites. It is also intended for people who prefer wines without the addition of sulphur dioxide, a preservative traditionally used in winemaking.
You will not see a permanent bottling line here because bottling takes place only four or five days a year. On those days, a specialist mobile bottling contractor comes to the winery with all the necessary equipment. The machinery is set up directly on the premises, the required operations and bottling are carried out, and afterwards the equipment is dismantled and taken away.
This allows us to avoid the investment and depreciation costs of owning a bottling line that would only be used for a few days each year, while still keeping the entire production cycle within the winery.
THE VINEYARDS AND THE TERRITORY
Tenuta Riccardi covers approximately 20 hectares, all planted with vines and entirely owned by us. Harvesting is carried out mainly by hand. Completing the harvest takes approximately 40 days, with a team of 10 workers working around eight hours a day.
A very small proportion of the grapes is harvested mechanically, exclusively when those grapes are intended for sale to other wineries and hand-harvesting has not been specifically requested. All grapes destined to be vinified in our own winery, however, are harvested by hand.
There are two main reasons for this choice: one is technical and the other is related to quality.
From a technical point of view, some of our vineyards are simply not suitable for mechanical harvesting. This is particularly true of our older vineyards, where the rows are narrow and there is not enough space for a mechanical harvester to pass properly over the vines.
The most important reason, however, is quality. Even in vineyards that could technically be harvested mechanically, grapes intended for our own winemaking are still picked by hand. Manual harvesting allows us to select the bunches more carefully, reduces the presence of unwanted material and limits potential damage to both the vines and the grapes.
As a result, the grapes arrive at the winery in better condition and are cleaner and more intact. This allows us to obtain a cleaner must and reduces the need for subsequent treatments and processing.
We are located in the Oltrepò Pavese, an area in the southern part of the province of Pavia, south of the River Po, which has historically been characterised by viticulture. Overall, the area has approximately 13,000 hectares of vineyards.
In recent years, however, the total vineyard area has gradually been decreasing. This is partly due to the closure of some farms, but also to the need to achieve a better balance between production and market demand.
Among the grape varieties most representative of the area are Croatina, Pinot Noir, Barbera, Riesling and Moscato. Croatina is one of the most distinctive varieties and one of those most historically associated with the Oltrepò Pavese.
Pinot Noir arrived from France around 1860, when Count Vistarino, in the Scuropasso Valley, planted one of the area's first Pinot Noir vineyards. In 1865, he produced one of the first local sparkling wines made from this variety, using a process that can be considered an early form of what we now call the Traditional Method, or Metodo Classico. This wine became known as Count Vistarino’s “Italian Champagnino.”
Another important date in the history of local sparkling wine production is 1930, when an important vintage-dated, Brut, 100% Pinot Noir Metodo Classico sparkling wine was produced in Santa Maria della Versa. This is further evidence of the Oltrepò Pavese’s long-standing vocation for producing Pinot Noir-based sparkling wines.
Another fundamental feature of the landscape surrounding us is the Versa stream, which is approximately 30 kilometres long. It rises in Canevino, now part of the municipality of Colli Verdi, where its source is located. It then flows through the entire valley before continuing towards Portalbera, near Stradella.
The stream gave its name to the Versa Valley, to the town of Santa Maria della Versa, and also to the historic Cantina La Versa, located at the entrance to Santa Maria della Versa.
The Versa Valley is important not only for wine production. Over the centuries, it also held considerable strategic importance and was the scene of numerous conflicts for control of the territory.
In particular, in 1216, major fighting took place involving forces from neighbouring cities and the inhabitants of the valley. During these conflicts, several castles and fortifications in the area were attacked and destroyed, including those of Soriasco, Golferenzo, Montecalvo, Volpara and Donelasco.
The history of the Versa Valley is therefore closely connected to its landscape and territory: a valley that played an important strategic role over the centuries and which, over time, found in viticulture and winemaking two of the defining elements of its identity.