Val Polcevera DOC

The valley running north out of Genoa, and the closest thing the city has to a vineyard of its own. Val Polcevera covers Genoa itself together with Sant’Olcese, Serra Riccò, Mignanego, Campomorone, Ceranesi and Mele, and it contains one of the most poignant subzones in Italy.

The Terroir The registered file reads as a survey. The soils are marine sediments — turbidites — of prevalently clayey composition, with a fine-loam texture and a neutral to sub-alkaline reaction. Vineyard altitude runs from sea level to 1,200 metres. Mean temperature is about 12°C; rainfall peaks in November at around 166 mm and falls to an average of 17 mm in July. That July figure is the whole difficulty of Ligurian viticulture in one number.

The Wine of Genoa The file names the historical fact directly: the territory of Genoa, cultivated since the Middle Ages, constituted the principal outlet market — the vino di Genova. And it cites a reader: appreciation of the wines of Coronata, it says, finds numerous testimonies, such as that of Stendhal in his celebrated travel account, the Viaggio in Italia. A wine praised by Stendhal is not a minor thing to have almost lost.

Coronata The subzone lies entirely within the commune of Genoa, on the hills of Coronata, Fegino and Murta above the western port. For centuries its white was the wine of the city. Then the twentieth century arrived: the Cornigliano steelworks was built directly below the hill, the port expanded, the motorway went through, and the vineyards were reduced to a handful of terraces held by a few determined growers. The Coronata that survives is made from Bianchetta Genovese, sometimes unblended, and it is very good — saline, herbal and taut.

Grape Varieties Bianchetta Genovese and Vermentino lead the whites with Albarola and Bosco alongside; Dolcetto, Ciliegiolo and Sangiovese make the reds. Still, frizzante, sparkling and passito are all registered.

The Critical Take This is urban viticulture in the hardest possible setting, and what it produces is far better than the circumstances suggest. The whites are light, briny and built for the local table; the reds are incidental. Quantities are minute and almost nothing leaves the province. If you are in Genoa, this is the wine to order with the food; anywhere else, you will not find it.

At the Table Genoese cooking, exactly: trofie al pesto, focaccia, stuffed anchovies, cima alla genovese, and fried fish. Serve at 9–11°C.

Benchmark Producers Andrea Bruzzone, Gionata Cognata on the Morego hill, and Villa Cambiaso.