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San Colombano, Milan’s only DOC wine
Sustainable nutrition and consumption of local products
Lombardy is a substantial wine-producing region and the municipality of San Colombano al Lambro is home to the only DOC wine produced in Province of Milan.
This wine-growing area, a 40 km drive from Milan, vaunts a privileged position atop one of the very few hills nestled in the flat of the Po Valley, straddling the border between the Pavia and Lodi provinces.
The origins of San Colombano as a wine-producing region date back more than a millennium and, tradition has it that, the hill is named in honour of an Irish missionary, Saint Columbanus, who came to Italy and settled in this area in the sixth century.
He most probably instigated the local viticulture to provide for his order’s holy rituals and was led by the knowledge of the agronomic works of the classics which the scribes chronicled on parchments.
There are two types of San Colombano DOC:
This smooth red wine is a blend of the following grape varieties: Croatina 30-50%, Barbera 25-50% and Uva Rara, max 15%.
Croatina, a black grape variety, originally indigenous to the Oltrepò Pavese and now cultivated here, produces a wine rich in colour and structure with notes of silky ripe fruit and leafy undergrowth; it gives balance and colour to the San Colombano DOC.
A blend of Chardonnay (min.50%) and Pinot Noir (min.10%).
Chardonnay is part of the blend in some of the best sparkling wines in the world and is also endowed with great aging potential.
Pinot Noir is considered one of the noblest grape varieties, providing the backbone of winemaking globally: it is one of the so-called ‘international’ vines originating in France, widely grown all over the world.
San Colombano rosso DOC is ideal served with a slice Quartirolo cheese, Milanese risotto, hearty cassoeula stew, Milanese ossobuco, cotechino and lentils, the robust Varzi salami or full-flavoured Provolone cheese.
The delicate notes of San Colombano bianco DOC pair perfectly with appetizers, freshwater fish and white meats.
