When most people think of Italian Riesling, the wines from the northeastern Trentino-Alto Adige spring to mind. Yet, producers in the gently undulating valleys of Lombardy’s Oltrepò Pavese are bottling some of the country’s most vibrant examples of the grape.

Sprawled across hills that stretch as high as 600 meters, Oltrepò Pavese (“Pavia beyond the Po”) lies 65 kilometers south of Milan. Sixty-five percent of the region’s 13,000 hectares under vine belong to Pinot Noir, the grape comprising the hallmark Oltrepò Pavese DOCG Metodo Classico. In comparison, Riesling represents 10 percent of the region’s vines.