part of the territory of the municipalities of Soave, Monteforte, San Martino B.A., Lavagno, Mezzane, Caldiero, Colognola, Illasi, Cazzano di Tramigna, San Bonifacio, Roncà, Montecchia, and S. Giovanni Ilarione. Here the Garganega, the principle grape of the denomination, has over the centuries found an ideal habitat, especially in the hills that characterise the valleys of Alpone, Tramigna, Illasi, and Mezzane. In the vast and qualified scenario of prestigious wines of the Verona province, only in these turfed hills of volcanic origin with significant limestone outcrops has it gone on to achieve this ideal symbiosis of environment and vine for the production of white wines of There are many documents that speak of Soave, and it is certain that since antiquity Soave wines have been much appreciated. Their fame grew, however, especially from the beginning of 1900s when the major wineries from the Verona province promoted Soave wine on all domestic and foreign markets, until it gained in modern days the coveted title of “eminent Classic white wine of Italy”, and the prestigious distinction of being the most exported Italian white wine. The production area of Soave is situated in the eastern part of the hills of the province of Verona (to the north of the Serenissima stretch of the A4 motorway, from the 18th to 25th km, between Verona and Venice). It includes all or outstanding quality. The use of the specification “Classico”, in addition to the denomination “Soave”, is reserved exclusively for the product obtained from grapes harvested and vinified in the territory of the municipalities of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone, in which lies the original and most ancient zone, called “the historic area”. Castles, churches, bell towers and rich patrician villas that barely emerge from the sea of vineyards testify to a territory rich in history, tradition and strongly connected to its main product. Already in 1931 as first among Italian wines, Soave was recognized as a “typical and precious” wine. It is a global reflection of the years of commitment of the producers of Soave and the Consortium of Protection, that made it possible to obtain the “G” for the Soave Superiore. After a long process of viticultural zoning, the most studied area of Italy has invested in its own identity with great conviction, strongly sustaining the inspiration of the “cru” and the quality pyramid, reassessing the qualifying benefits of Garganega and the autochthonous Trebbiano di Soave, ancient cultivars tempered by time, in the hills and old vineyards, with balance in the productions, adaptation to the territory and exaltation of the character and identity of the wines. The new oenological objectives are to obtain fewer bunches per vine with a greater concentration and an easier management of the vineyard. A more careful selection of the grapes in the vineyard and the vinification of single types of vines are the other issues on which the attention of all producers is focused on today. The synthesis of this renewal has brought the Soave Superiore to its recognition as D.O.C.G. and led to the overall reorganisation of the denomination in a qualitative sense, identifying different vineyards for their specific climatic, topographic and pedological conditions. In 1998 Recioto di Soave was the first wine from Veneto to obtain the D.O.C.G. denomination. A “historic” document dated 1841on the techniques for the preparation of “Recioto di Soave” was left to us in Giuseppe Beretta’s book in which he wrote: “For a live liquor I mean that wine which is obtained from naturally withered grapes that are squeezed in a press starting from winter. To make this wine it is recommended to decant and filter the must until it is free from its solid parts and ferment it only in small barrels in a cold environment, and without stalks or skins: in this way it can only boil very slowly. This wine preserves intact some part of its sugary matter: the prerogative of which is precisely what distinguishes it from every other”. Recioto is a dialect word used by the people of Verona. It derives from “recia”, the upper part of the bunch of Garganega grapes that is more exposed to sunlight and has higher sugar levels.
The Soave D.O.C. can be considered the Italian white wine par excellence. It’s a useful, effective wine, obtained without losing any fragrance or lightness but characterised, rather, by a vibrant vivacity. The Spumante, with its modern and seductive taste, retains full title to the nobility of an important tradition. It is the versatility of the Garganega, the vine of Soave, which gives character and identity to this wine. Perfect grapes, selected yeasts, a careful vinification, and a prolonged stay in contact with the lees of the wine, gives us a brut with a fine and persistent “perlage”. The “Soave Colli Scaligeri” D.O.C. is produced in the hilly areas outside the classical area, it is a wine of great structure but delicate, ideal to accompany the consumer in the most diverse moments of the day and in the most varied combinations. The Soave Classico D.O.C. is certainly a more ambitious white wine, obtained in the hilly regions of the municipalities of Soave and Monteforte. With its length and ability to positively evolve over several years it is able to amaze without asking too much of the consumer. Ampelographically, the base of the Soave Superiore D.O.C.G. remains the same as that of the historical Soave, with at least 70% grapes from Garganega: it is allowed to use, up to a maximum of 30%, Trebbiano di Soave, Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco grapes. In terms of maturation Soave Superiore D.O.C.G. is released for consumption only from the 1st September of the year following the harvest, and after refinement in bottle for at least three months so as to safeguard the characteristics of maturity and complexity. From this wine is expected the best of Soave therefore, not only in terms of freshness and great ease of drinking but also excellent evolutionary capabilities, even over ten years in the best vintages. The use of the specification “Classico”, in addition to the denomination “Soave Superiore”, is reserved for the product obtained from grapes harvested and vinified exclusively in the territory of the municipalities of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone, in which lies the original most ancient zone, called “the historic area”. With the new rules of production the Recioto di Soave D.O.C.G. has a more complex and elaborate profile, becoming an excellent wine for contemplation. Just before the real harvest work, a selection is made of the best bunches which are then placed on mats for withering. The resting grapes are constantly monitored and cleaned over a period of four to six months until the time of pressing. The fermentation process, often in small barrels, is slow and very long. The formation of noble rot on the drying grapes renders the olfactory sense, and the corresponding aroma and taste, even more complete.
Since the beginning of the 20th century researchers had identified in the territory of Soave, unique among the historic areas of production of fine wines of the Verona province, a specific identity linked to the origin of the soil (predominantly volcanic) that differentiates it from the other historical areas of Bardolino and Valpolicella. The pedological and environmental characteristics have therefore allowed a natural selection of vines that only here manage to express themselves at the highest levels of quality. Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave, as we know them today, are the fruit of a long natural interaction between vine and environment in which man has given a particular contribution in recent years. The Garganega does not possess a marked aroma, but it has a small legacy of fragrances of which almond and white flower blossoms are the most crisp. It has a very long biological development, so much so that it reaches maturity in October. Its grapes have a tough skin, particularly yellow (almost red) when it is ripe. It does not have a preponderant acidity, but rather an interesting balance of sugar and extracts. The Trebbiano di Soave, historically very present in the vineyards, has increasingly left, to be replaced by the exuberance of Garganega. Only in recent years has it been proposed as an ideal partner to draw new oenological profiles for the Soave of the future, by combining the tanginess and liveliness of Soave with the structure and density typical of Garganega. Today there are approximately 6,900 hectares of vineyard enrolled in the D.O.C. “Soave”, in an area that from a climatic perspective is favoured by a mild and temperate climate, with winters that are not excessively severe and summers that are fairly temperate.
Colour: straw-like yellow
Bouquet: fiori e frutta bianca;
Taste: fruttato e fresco, di buona acidità ed equilibrio;
Alcoholic Strength minimum total volume: 11,00%
Serving Temperature: 12°.
Accompaniments: antipasti;
Colour: straw-like yellow
Bouquet: fiori e frutta bianca;
Taste: fruttato e di buona acidità;
Alcoholic Strength minimum total volume: 11,00%
Serving Temperature: 12°.
Accompaniments: aperitivi, antipasti;
Colour: straw-like yellow
Bouquet: fiori bianchi e frutta bianca;
Taste: fruttato e sapido, di discreta complessità;
Alcoholic Strength minimum total volume: 11,50%
Serving Temperature: 12°.
Accompaniments: pesce crudo, zuppe, salumi;
Colour: giallo paglierino con riflessi verdognoli o dorati;
Bouquet: fiori e frutta bianca, mineralità;
Taste: fruttato, con venature minerali e di buona persistenza;
Alcoholic Strength minimum total volume: 11,50%
Serving Temperature: 12°.
Accompaniments: zuppe, primi piatti, le minestre;
Colour: giallo paglierino con riflessi dorati;
Bouquet: frutta matura, di grande complessità;
Taste: ampio, fruttato, molto persistente e talvolta con note di rovere;
Alcoholic Strength minimum total volume: 12% vol.;
Serving Temperature: 12°.
Accompaniments: zuppe, primi piatti, le minestre, carni bianche, formaggi;
Colour: giallo dorato con riflessi ambrati;
Bouquet: complesso che ricorda il miele d’acacia con sfumature floreali di grappolo;
Taste: vellutato, armonico, corposo e gradevolmente mandorlato;
Alcoholic Strength minimum total volume: 12% vol.;
Serving Temperature: 12°.
Accompaniments: tutti i dolci tipici della pasticceria veronese;