Francesca Poggio - Il Poggio di Gavi

Mine is a family business, and work really is my “happy place”. My sister Alessandra helps me run the resort, my daughter Giorgia supports me in the cellar and my husband Angelo looks after the vineyards and woods.

We work together as a team, in a calm and harmonious atmosphere focused on the values of hospitality, always relating to people with a natural, uncomplicated approach. We like to make you feel as comfortable as you would in your own home and the magic ingredient of our welcome really isn’t all that much of a secret: here at Il Poggio di Gavi, all you will feel is just how delighted we are to have you here. And then of course, there are simply places that have that something special about them, that you can’t quite put your finger on: magical places where the simplicity of beauty reigns, where man and nature have developed a friendship, where you feel immediately at ease. Il Poggio di Gavi is one of these enchanted places. My family and I have always known this and now we want to invite you to discover the pleasure of exactly what makes you fall in love, at Il Poggio!

Of course, we put a lot of effort into everything: the wine resort, the cellar, the vineyards, a good wine tasting. We know how to transmit our love for these magnificent hills, for the way of life of the people who live here and for Gavi, a great Italian wine, perhaps the first to succeed in expressing the excellence of Italy’s white wines beyond our national borders.

With Gavi, it is easy to describe the identity of the area we live in and with my Gavi, it is even easier, because it speaks for me. It explains the soil, draws the vines, describes the ripe grapes, expresses all its hostility towards chemicals and tells stories of real wellbeing. And I just let it do its own thing and speak for itself…

Story

Sustainability

Sustainability

Location

poggio gavi wine shop

Events

Story

I have chosen to live among the woods and vineyards of Gavi. This is where I spent my childhood holidays, right in the heart of Gavi, on the magical Rovereto hill, a privileged place which gives us one of the real historical crus of Gavi. This was where my great-grandfather Alfredo lived and, just like him, I too fell in love with Gavi. So much so that, as soon as I reached the age of 18, I left Milan and moved to Il Poggio di Gavi.

Taking my time, I then decided what I wanted to do with my life: on the 31st of July 2003, I left my job as an estate agent to breathe some life back into the family wine cellar. I started off with lots of enthusiasm, a farmhouse full of charm and a few hectares of vineyards. And Il Poggio di Gavi was born as a winery and bed & breakfast: two forms of hospitality on the wine hills of Gavi, which breathe the air that blows in from the sea. Things officially got going in 2004, when the winery produced just four thousand bottles. Now that number has risen to over 33 thousand, which I export almost all over the world.

I have dedicated heart and soul to this business in recent years, opening a new Wine Shop, creating a tasting room where I can receive friends and customers, develop relationships, experiment, play, pursue my creative vein, have fun and share projects and experiences. But none of this would have been possible without the help of theAssociazione Nazionale Le Donne del Vino and Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti (Fivi).

Sustainability

Sustainability

I have the utmost respect for nature and no desire whatsoever to change it: it’s perfect the way it is! I see environmental conservation as natural and essential, a day-to-day commitment. It’s a matter of sustainability. Adopting sustainable behaviour is all about being sensitive and using methods that have to involve everyone. It is something I believe in strongly and work to achieve every day. I use no herbicides or pesticides; I respect natural cover crops and use only organic fertiliser for the purpose of rebalancing. Not content with that, I have installed a photovoltaic system that guarantees the supply of renewable energy to the cellar, as well as a tank to collect rainwater for use in the fields.

My husband is very attentive to sustainability too and it makes me so happy to see all the passion and commitment he devotes to looking after “our” woods, to the benefit of the local flora and fauna.

Of course, the path towards sustainability is a long one, but I am convinced that the future leaves us no alternative. This is why I let myself become easily involved in projects that explore the new frontiers of sustainability, both in the cellar and in the fields. There is still much to be done and to explore in order to achieve the goal of systems that are truly compatible with nature and sustainability. This is a complex challenge, but it is also a great opportunity for our wellbeing and that of our planet. My commitment to nature has never waned over the years and I am about to embark on the conversion to organic farming in the vineyard. This is my own personal challenge.

Location

We are in Piedmont, towards the south of the region, just a few kilometres from the beaches of Liguria. A border land where trade once flourished along the ancient salt road which the Ligurians used to bring salt, anchovies and oil to the people of Piedmont, who traded with wine. Our vineyards are often filled with the scent of the “marin”, that warm and salty breeze that comes from the sea and brings its benefits to the growth of the vines. Il Poggio is reached, from Novi Ligure, by an enchanting road that runs through vineyards, woods and historic villas that were once the summer residences of important families from Genoa and Milan. In a nutshell, it is a place that will simply amaze you!

Golf

My grandfather used to play golf, my mother plays golf, my daughter plays golf, my husband is a golf instructor, my brother-in-law was Italian golf champion, and I try to play golf. Golf is an integral part of our life and, within a 10 km radius of Il Poggio di Gavi, you can enjoy playing on three magnificent golf courses. Here are the links:

The closest to Il Poggio di Gavi is Colline del Gavi Golf, which is home to my favourite green, but I am sure that your passion will inspire you to try the other courses, which are every bit as delightful and will offer you a variety of emotions to experience.

Golf Club Colline del Gavi

Events

poggio gavi wine shop

Il Poggio di Gavi is a welcoming and very flexible place, suitable for outdoor and indoor activities. All kinds of events are repeated every year, some big and others smaller, and while the stories they tell and the passions they arouse are very different, all of them are intriguing: motorbike and vintage car rallies, Pilates courses, private parties, anniversaries, cultural events, sports events and corporate meetings, and even tasting seminars, such as the course for the WSET 2nd Level Award in Wines, the first organised by Le Donne del Vino.

But you don’t have to wait for a special event to come and spend an evening at Il Poggio, because every weekend here is different and exciting: a delicious opportunity to taste the speciality of the day, which could be farinata, focaccia with cheese, fried ravioli, stockfish, fried fish, platters of charcuterie and cheese and much more, depending on the season. All sourced locally. I have established friendships with local restaurant owners and businesses and have created large outdoor areas looking out onto the vineyards, which lend themselves perfectly to organising evenings under the stars, benefiting from their expertise and that of the finest representatives of the street food scene.