Soave (wine)

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For other uses, see Soave (disambiguation).
Soave
Trebbiano di Soave, Chardonnay
Wine produced383,000 hectolitres (8,400,000 imp gal; 10,100,000 US gal)[1]

Soave (

denominazione di origine controllata e garantita
(DOCG) designation known as Soave Superiore, with both zones being further sub-divided into a general and Classico designation for the wines produced in the heartland of the Soave region, around the sloping vineyards of Verona.

Throughout the Soave production zone Garganega is the principal grape variety, though Trebbiano di Soave and Chardonnay are permitted in varying percentages. While most Soave is dry, still wine, within the DOC zone a sparkling spumante style is permitted, as is the passito Recioto style, that in 1998 was granted its own DOCG designation for grapes grown in the hilly region.

History

Vineyards in Soave, Veneto

Soave saw a peak of popularity in United States during the mid-20th-century Italian wine boom, that followed the end of

Pinot grigio and an influx of new wines from southern Italy.[2]

The Soave DOC was created in 1968 with those boundaries revised and expanded periodically over the next few decades. As a point of introduction, it should be said that Soave and Chianti were the first zones in Italy (in 1931) to be recognized by Royal Decree as having the potential for producing fine wines. This document delimited the borders of the production zones which, in the case of Soave, coincide with those fixed under the current production regulations for Soave Classico. Situated in the eastern part of the Province of Vicenza, in the foothills of the Lessini Mountains, the Soave zone is a not particularly large wine region which, however, produces very significant quantities of wine, in virtue of the fact that the area under vine is one of the most specialized and densely planted in Europe. In this area, there exists a traditional and indissoluble link between viticulture and terroir; the area of specialized vineyards has remained practically unchanged compared to 100 years ago and, indeed, there does not seem to be any valid reason why it should increase.

In 2001, a separate Soave Superiore DOCG was created for the 2002 vintage,

viticultural practices, promoted sharp criticism from Soave growers, and, beginning as early as 2003, several voluntarily withdrew themselves from the DOC/G and produced wines under IGT designations.[4]

Wine region

Province of Verona with the main communes of the Soave classico zone highlighted to the east

The Soave production zone is situated in the eastern part of the hills in the

Montecchia and San Giovanni Ilarione
.

The climate of the Soave region is influenced by the mists that flow from the Po Valley in the autumn and can bring the viticultural hazards of mold and other grape diseases. The Garganega grape, that is the primary component of Soave, is a late-ripening variety with a thick skin that can withstand the mist better than some of the thinner skin varieties like Trebbiano toscano.[5]

Classico

Soave production areas

The classico zone was first delineated by Veneto authorities in 1927 and originally encompassed 2,720 acres (1,100 ha) of hillside vineyards within the Soave zone.[5] Today, the use of the specification "Classico" with the designation "Soave" is reserved for the product made from grapes harvested from the hillside vineyards around the municipalities of Soave and Monteforte d'Alpone, in the original and oldest classic "zone" of Verona.

The

vineyard soils of this region are considerably less fertile than the alluvial soils in the plains. In the western part of the classico zone, near the commune of Soave, the soils contain a high percentage of limestone which retain the warmth of the afternoon sun and helps produce fuller, more fruit-forward wines. In the eastern vineyards, near Monteforte d'Alpone, the soils are made of decomposed volcanic rock that tends to produce what wine expert Jancis Robinson calls "steelier" wines.[5]

DOC/G requirements

Garganega is the principal grape of Soave.

Only

alcohol level of at least 10.5%.[3]

In the Soave Superiore

Serprina) permitted up to 5% collectively. Grapes are harvested to a more restricted maximum yield of 10 tonnes/ha, while the finished DOCG wines must reach a minimum alcohol level of 11.5%.[3]

While most Soave Superiore DOCG is produced from vineyards within the classico zone, the boundaries for the DOCG also extend to some of the hillside vineyards that are outside the classico zone. These wines are labeled as Soave Colli Scaligeri Superiore DOCG, a name referencing the hills around Verona that used to belong to the noble

Scaligeri family, that were Lords of Verona for many years.[5]

Additionally, there are also new regulations for planting under the DOCG system with new vineyards needing to be trained using Espalier systems with at least 4,000 vines per hectare. For those vines planted before 2002, the Espalier system, Pergola Inclinata and Pergoletta Veronese are allowed. Soave DOCG may be released on to the market only after 1 September of the year following the harvest, and after bottle aging of at least three months.

Soave superior vineyards

As early as 2000 a first mapping of the macro-zones within the Soave Classico zone was carried out, which led to an initial substantial identification of macro-areas whose wines were characterized by similar aromatic and organoleptic qualities. The more detailed research on the vineyards of Soave (2005–2008), carried out by the Consorzio, has been based on the numerous studies already effected, and in particular on that concerning zoning, files were prepared on the most significant wine companies in each of the various homogeneous zones that had been identified, listing the wineries, the labels and the characteristics of the wines.

Other wines

Pinot bianco, another permitted grape variety in Soave

The grape requirements for

sweetness due to the high concentrations of sugars that came from the grapes' desiccation
on the vine.

Soave Superiore DOCG wines can also receive a

Riserva designation, provided the wine is fermented to a minimum alcohol level of 12.5% and is aged a minimum of 24 months (with at least 3 of those months being in the bottle) before it is released on the market.[3]

Production and style

By the mid-1990s Soave was producing around 6 million cases annually,

co-operative and sold in bulk to importers who release the wine under private labels. A sizable amount of this wine comes from the flat pianura land, outside the hilly classico region, in the heart of the Soave zone. Most of the more critically acclaimed Soave comes from the hillside vineyards in the Classico zone, though critics have argued that this designation does not mean as much since the DOC/G changes of the early 21st century.[4]

For most of its history, Soave was produced in a medium-bodied style that was often compared to Chardonnay, except with a distinct bitter

Pinot grigio than to Chardonnay. But at the turn of the 21st century, production trends were shifting towards a Soave that better reflected its own character and that of the Garganega grape.[3]

straw-colored wine, that has fresh, fruity notes.[2]

In 2009, Cantina di Soave co-operative, with 2,200 members, generated 48% of total Soave DOC production and 43% of Soave Classico. According to wine critic and author Kerin O'Keefe, Cantina di Soave, together with seven other co-ops, including the outstanding Cantina di Monteforte, have long been a defining element in the denomination. But over the past decade many growers have begun bottling their own wine, further fuelling a shift towards higher standards.[7]

Confusingly for consumers, though, some of the best independent producers, such as Gini, Pieropan and Tessari, are not using the Soave Superiore DOCG designation, as they feel that well-made Soave Classico DOC wines have slightly less alcohol and extract than the DOCG demands, but are nonetheless more refined and long-lived than the supposedly superior designation.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Soave DOC". Italian Wine Central. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-7645-5355-0
  3. ^
    ISBN 1-55297-720-X
  4. ^
    ISBN 0-316-72654-0
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-19-860990-6
  6. ^ Robinson, Jancis. "Trebbiano". Jancis Robinson. Allen Lane. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  7. ^ a b O'Keefe, Kerin (July 2009). "Soave's quiet revolution". Decanter.

External links

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