Gavi sits just over the Ligurian border in Piedmont, but the wine it produces — a dry white made from the Cortese grape — has always been linked to Genoa. Genoese merchants developed the market for it centuries ago, and it remains the white wine of choice in Ligurian restaurants. The Gavi DOCG is one of the most respected white wine designations in northern Italy.
The town of Gavi itself is a pleasant stop: a medieval centre, a Genoese fortress on the hill above, and several producers who open their cellars to visitors. The surrounding countryside — gentle hills covered in vineyards — makes for good driving in spring or autumn.