Veneto: The Many Complicated Faces of Soave
Written By: Dylan York on Tue, Jul 29th 2008
Soave is one of the most complicated and misunderstood white wines found in the Veneto region. When speaking about Soave, some of you may think about the dull and flat wines from Bolla or some of you may recall a crisp, dry, and refreshing wine that a sommelier recommended while dining at fine Italian restaurant. Like so many of Italy's well known wines, there are the mass produced versions that are more water than wine and there are the truly handcrafted wines that you have to dig a little deeper to find. When I started reading up on Soave I found the reason why the wine has so many reputations. Soave is produced in three main forms; Recioto di Soave DOCG, Soave DOC, and Soave Superiore DOCG. Each wine has a standard and Classico style.
Important Note: Classico refers to an area inside the zone that is known for producing a higher level of quality because of the soil content and vineyard aspect. Each type of Soave has a standard and Classico designated wine.
Additional Note: The grape varieties and proportions for all Soave are as followed: 0-100% Garganega, and up to 30% of Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, and Trebbiano di Soave (Verdicchio) can be added along with 5% of other local non aromatic varietals like Trebbiano di Toscana.
Recioto di Soave, a sweet wine made from dried grapes, was the first wine in Veneto to receive DOCG status in 1992 and is the easiest of them all to understand. The wine itself is found in three forms: Standard, Classico and Spumante (sparkling). Each of the three is aged 12 months in oak barrels before released and the Classico is the highest quality.
Soave DOC can be made in three main forms depending on the source of the grapes: Standard Soave, Soave Colli Scaligeri, and Spumante (sparkling). Each of these forms is further classified in two ways, see below:
- Standard Soave (Soave and Soave Classico) - made from grapes of lower lying vineyard sites.
- Soave Colli Scaligeri (Soave Colli Scaligeri and Soave Colli Scaligeri Classico) - made from grapes from a specific hillside vineyard site.
- Spumante (Soave Spumante and Soave Spumante Classico) - made from grapes from hillside vineyards.
The majority of the bulk Soave produced falls into the DOC category. For this reason quality producers of Soave were awarded a DOCG in 2002 named Soave Superiore to distinguish the two quality levels.
Soave Superiore DOCG is produced from the same vineyard sites as Recioto di Soave DOCG and is considered the highest quality of Soave. Soave Superiore is also aged in oak barrels for longer periods of time than the DOC wines. It is classified in two ways, the standard and Classico, each with a Riserva level. See Below:
- Soave Superiore (aged 10 months) and Soave Superiore Riserva (aged 24 months)
- Soave Superiore Classico (aged 10 months) and Soave Superiore Classic Riserva (aged 24 months)
Now that you see all of this you see why Soave can be so complicated. What should you take from all of this? Well if you are looking to experience the finer side of Soave then I recommend sticking to the Superiore and Recioto DOCG wines. Look for some of my favorite producers like Gini, Pieropan, and Pra as they are the best that I have found. Enjoy tasting.
Italian Poet Gabriele D'Annunzio wrote this about Soave: "It is the wine of youth and love so that it's not for me, since I am now loaded down with years and was ever a discreet lover. But I drink it in homage to the past. If it can't restore me to the age of twenty, it can at least reawaken memories of that time."
