From its high as Italy’s flagship white, to its mass-produced, dilute low, Soave has improved quality, rebuilt its image and earned a DOCG in the process. So why don’t we know about it, asks Kerin O’Keefe.
Spreading out in a dense sea of vines beneath its emblematic medieval castle, Italy’s Soave denomination, north of Verona, has recently undergone a stunning transformation. The makeover is made all the more remarkable by the fact that it
has gone largely unnoticed. Once the undisputed kingdom of Italy’s dilute, uninspiring whites made in industrial quantities, Soave’s tighter production regulations have seriously escalated quality. Many of today’s wines, particularly those from the historic Classico area – made from lower yields and perfectly matured grapes – are more like Chablis than the Soave of yore.
Offering complex aromas and creamy fruit, punctuated with intense minerality, these premier bottlings are also surprisingly ageworthy. Soave even has the highly coveted DOCG designation for two of its wines: the sweet Recioto made from dried grapes, and for Soave Superiore. Not that most people would know it. Which perhaps explains why, best of all, despite the impressive leap in quality across the vast denomination, Soave remains incredibly well priced.
Read the article: Soave’s quiet revolution