SOAVE SOFTLY STRIKES RIGHT NOTES FOR NOVICES
Italian appellation has bounced back as winemakers focus on quality over quantity
Since more people are looking to try white wines, I often get asked for recommendations.
I usually start with ones I refer to as “all-around” whites. When starting with white wine, it’s best to pick one that is neither too acidic, too rich or too aromatic. Like Goldilocks, you want one that’s just right.
Lately, I have been turning people onto Soave. This classic Italian appellation in the Veneto region makes wines that offer a little bit of everything, without being dominated by any one characteristic.
Less overtly mineral than Chablis, less acidic than sauvignon blanc, not as rich as viognier, great Soave deftly touches on all three of those qualities.
The main grape of Soave is garganega. As with many wellknown Italian appellations, like Valpolicella and Chianti, there was a time when a lot of Soave was pretty forgettable.
Garganega is sensitive to yields, so if you push each vine to produce too many grapes, nuance can quickly be lost. As the appellation expanded to cover the richer-soiled plains around the original area, the quality of the wine declined.
Things got so bad during the 1990s that one of the region’s best winemakers, Roberto Anselmi, decided to remove the name Soave from his bottles in 2000. His reasoning, as he wrote in an open letter to the Soave consortium of wine producers, was that too many wineries were making poor-quality wine.
Today’s Soave is in a different and physically smaller place.
Soave Classico, the original area of the appellation, is a 1,500-hectare area that is mostly covered by volcanic soils. The hillsides are steep, meaning the soils are poor and the vines struggle. Most importantly, a new generation of winemakers is doing its best to produce quality over quantity. With the reduced yields, the results are riper, more concentrated grapes.
But again, don’t expect an explosion of aromas: in terms of fruit, most Soave will take you from citrus and green apple to stone fruits. Nuance.
The SAQ is loaded with wines from great Soave producers. While I have a preference for Filippi and Prà, Pieropan and Inama also make fantastic, authentic wines. And as bottle prices are generally between $20 for generic Soave to just over $30 for vineyard selections, they are very affordable as well.
In terms of pairings, these are great apéritifs. They do well with everything from raw oysters and most lighter fish to pasta with cream sauces or simply olive oil, garlic and herbs.