Grape Variety: Garganega

Colour: White

An ancient vine which is nearly identical to Sicily’s Grecanico, Garganega is thought to be of early Greek origin, as the name suggests. It has been established in northeast Italy for centuries and is widely planted throughout the Veneto, where it is the primary white vine and the staple ingredient of Soave. Cultivated to lesser extent in Friuli, Lombardy and Umbria, it shows up almost nowhere else. Other names for this variety include Gargana, Lizzana and Ostesona.

Garganega is a late-ripening and extremely vigorous vine, with medium sized, pentagonal leaves with pronounced notches. The loosely-knit clusters are long, cylindrical and winged, supporting spherical, thick skinned, juicy berries of moderate acidity, medium in size and pale white-green in colour.

Responsible for oceans of bland, undistinguished wine, when sited in the best microclimates (such as the Classico region and also on the best soils) and cultivated to restrict yield it can produce an elegant, delicate wine reminiscent of greengage plums, citrus and almonds, with balance, structure and texture.

Garganega is also produced in a recioto version, during which the finest parts of the bunches are dried on mats until winter, and the resulting semi-raisins slowly fermented to yield a seductive, sweet dessert wine that can age for decades.

The Tamellinis are making waves with their delicious expressive fruit-driven Soaves. The property embraces some 15 hectares of vineyards and all the grapes used to make the various Soaves, exceptthe Recioto, are aged in stainless steel. The basic Soave Superire is marked by seductive honey and nutty almond aromas added to a typical Garganega floral dimension with a textured palate; white stone fruit, hazelnut, aromatic herbs and citrus flavours (pineaapple and pink grapefruit) with a pure mineral edge. Pairs well with asparagus. Le Bine diu Costiola is the single vineyard version from pergola grown vines around 40-50 years old, planted in a mix of gravel and rich calcareous rock. Select clusters of grapes are harvested towards the end of October. With richer fruit and strength of flavour; it combines lively apple fruit with notes of plumskin and almond butter and would go well with a mild goat’s cheese or griddled spatch-cocked chicken with tarragon butter.

Only the finest, often smallest, most intense grapes are destined for the Recioto. The grapes are picked in September and dried until March before pressing and fermentation. The result is an amazing sweet wine whose complexity and grandeur make it reminiscent of great Sauternes. The old gold in the glass introduces sweet dried fruit and cake aromas that are perfectly reflected on the palate, where the lively sweetness is kept in line by a striking vein of acidity that veers between lime, grapefruit and tangerine. Very fine with a silk texture and exquisite balance, this is deeply impressive and illustrates the true potential of the grape.

Inama’s Soaves are amongst the greatest in the region. If you’re cruising on auto-palate, pull into this particular taste station. This is serious Soave, not the peely-wally stuff that rots your gaskins. Stefano Inama’s wines are characterised by late-picking and extended maceration on the skins, thereby achieving more colour, density and ripeness than one would normally associate with this region. The basic Soave Classico merits the “Superiore” tag and is 100% Garganega grown in the areas Monteforte d’Alpone and Soave. The vines are 20-30 years old and the grapes are harvested by hand with fermentation in stainless steel followed by malolactic fermentation. With a light yellow colour, an elegant nose of meadow flowers: camomile, elderflower and iris, this Soave is very attractive on the palate with a back taste of sweet almond. The finish is powerfully mineral with recurrent stabs of crystalline fruit. The Foscarino is superb, filling the mouth with perfumed apricot fruit and layer upon layer of mineral-salty flavours. In many respects it is similar to great Chablis.  The Foscarino hill is the centrepoint of Soave. The volcanic black basalt soils contribute towards this wine’s smoky character. It is instructive to taste these wines against the other brand leaders – and we do. Inama’s wines exemplify the alliance of a traditional local grape (Garganega) with a wonderful terroir. The result is so different from the blanched mealy-mouthed sulphurous soup that masquerades under the Soave label. The grapes for the Lot are destalked and crushed with subsequent skin contact for 4-8 hours. After the grapes are pressed the must is allowed to settle for 24-36 hours at 5°C. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation take place in new barriques (50% Allier 50% Never). Prior to racking, batonnage is carried out every 6 weeks for about 8 months. Filtration, through a coarse filter (without fining) occurs prior to bottling. The wine is rich, voluptuous even, and time in the decanter will soften the toasty oak overtones. All the Soaves would go well with local dishes such as Fegato alla Venezie (calf’s liver with onions) and Pollo Arrosto.