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Wine - It's not the Soave you remember

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Wine – It’s not the Soave you remember

There was a time about 30 years ago when everyone seemed to be drinking Soave, a white wine made near Verona, in northeastern Italy. The Soave made by Bolla was so popular — and so heavily marketed — that a lot of people thought “Soave Bolla” was the name of the brand.

But a lot of the Soave that was produced back then, by Bolla and others, was thin and bland, and eventually it was eclipsed by another Italian white that also tended to be thin and bland: pinot grigio. Soave was largely forgotten by a lot of Americans.

I’m happy to report that Soave — good Soave — is making a comeback. It’s not cheap stuff sold in a jug, but even a lot of the best ones — made by a handful of producers who are trying to rescue Soave’s image — aren’t very expensive.

Soave is made principally from garganega, which must constitute at least 70 percent of the blend. Another traditional grape is trebbiano di Soave (which is actually the same grape as verdicchio). Other grapes that are allowed include chardonnay and the bland, high-yielding trebbiano Toscano, which remains a mainstay in a lot of the least expensive wines. Some higher-end wines see time in oak, usually large containers or older barrels that don’t impart too much oak flavor.

There are several categories of Soave, but the wines most often sold here are basic Soave, which comes from anywhere in the Soave zone, including the fertile plains, and Soave Classico, for which the grapes are

grown in the hills around the towns of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone. Those hillsides are less fertile, which limits yields, producing more distinctive and flavorful wines with lively fruit and some minerality.

One of my favorite producers is a traditional one, Pieropan.

“We never changed our style,” says winemaker Dario Pieropan, even when many consumers were looking for a richer, riper style. “Our style is to make the wine for the restaurant, for the food.” The top bottlings are also capable of aging.

The 2010 Pieropan Soave ($17) is very fresh, with citrus, white stone fruit, green apple and mineral notes. All the fruit was grown in the Classico zone, but the Pieropan Soave that is exported to the United States is bottled under screw cap, which doesn’t conform to the Soave Classico rules.

There are also two single-vineyard wines. The 2009 Calvarino Soave Classico ($30), from a vineyard the family has held since the early 1900s, is about 30 percent trebbiano di Soave and is very fragrant and expansive, with citrus, green apple, a salty minerality and a long finish. The 2009 La Rocca Soave Classico ($30), from a vineyard that overlooks the medieval walled town of Soave, is the only Pieropan Soave that spends time in oak; it’s powerful and creamy, with nice freshness and a long finish. Both wines age well, too.

Pieropan poured the 1996 Calvarino, which opened up in the glass to reveal floral and honeyed notes, and the 1998 La Rocca, a silky wine with sweet fruit, mineral, honey and a hint of truffle.

Pra is another fine producer of traditional Soave. The 2010 Pra Soave Classico ($16), which is 100 percent garganega, is zippy and fresh, with green apple, citrus and mineral and a very slight bitterness on the finish. The 2009 Monte Grande Soave Classico ($25) is a 50-50 blend of garganega and trebbiano di Soave; the garganega is dried for a month on the vine before harvest. The wine is structured and creamy, with green apple, citrus and mineral.

One of the region’s best-known producers, Roberto Anselmi, doesn’t even call his wines Soave. He withdrew from the appellation in protest over regulations that he thought permitted inferior vineyard practices, emphasizing quantity over quality. Instead, he has given his wines proprietary names, such as San Vincenzo and Capitel Foscarino. The 2010 Anselmi San Vincenzo ($15) is racy and a little creamy, with stone fruit, mineral and a persistent finish, while the single-vineyard 2010 Capitel Foscarino ($22) is rounder and creamier, with more weight.

Some other good Soave producers to look for are Gini, Inama and Ca’ Rugate.

Contact Laurie Daniel at [email protected].

Tasting Notes

For more Soave wine recommendations, including some inexpensive bottlings, read Laurie Daniel’s tasting notes in the expanded version of this story at www.MercuryNews.com/food-wine.

TASTING NOTES

The grapes for the Soaves from Gini are from vines that are 50 to 100 years old, says Claudio Gini, agronomist for the family’s winery. The family has been in the wine business for more than 150 years, he adds. The vineyards are farmed organically and are in the process of being certified.
Only a couple of the Gini wines are available here. The 2010 Gini Soave Classico ($18) has a lot of minerality, along with fresh citrus and green apple flavors. “For me this is our important wine,” Gini says. The 2009 Gini “La Frosca” Soave Classico ($25) has a little more weight, as well as zippy citrus, apple and mineral. Twenty percent of the La Frosca is fermented in 1- and 2-year-old barrels. The La Frosca also ages well: Gini poured samples of the 1997 and the 1990 that were extraordinary, especially the still-fresh 1997.
I haven’t visited Inama, but I’ve tasted the wines over the years. The 2010 Inama Soave Classico ($15) is a very good, well-priced wine, with citrus, golden apple and white stone fruit flavors and brisk acidity. The 2010 Inama “Vigneti di Foscarino” Soave Classico ($24) is even racier, with citrus, white nectarine and a hint of creaminess.
Nor have I visited Ca’ Rugate, but I drank a lot of the 2010 Ca’ Rugate “San Michele” Soave Classico ($14) during my stay in the area. It’s lively and fresh, with citrus and green apple flavors. And I recently picked up a Soave that’s exclusive to Trader Joe’s and is a great bargain: The 2010 Cecilia Beretta “Brognoligo” Soave Classico ($7), which offers sweet stone fruit flavors with some weight and good acidity.
Some Soave vintners also produce a sweet wine called Recioto di Soave, made from grapes that are dried for several months after harvest. The one from Pieropan, called Le Colombare, is particularly good. The 2007 ($49/500 ml) is very sweet and luscious, with apricot and citrus and lively acidity to balance the sweetness. Anselmi’s version is called I Capitelli (again, the name doesn’t mention Soave). The 2008 I Capitelli ($40) is sweet and honeyed, with flavors of crème brulee, ripe apple and a slight floral note.


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The Light Delicacy Of A Dry White Wine

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Wine is an alcoholic drink that is made from the fermentation of untouched grape juice. Red and white wine are the most popular types. Dry white wine has only a small amount of remaining sugar in it, yet sometimes has a habit of tasting sweet when in fact it is not.

The most popular white wines originated in France and Germany, the French types being ‘Sauterne’ and ‘Chablis’ and the German types being ‘Reisling’ (also known as Hock or Rhine) and ‘Moselle’. They are all characterized by their lightness, delicacy of flavour and by their light straw colour. As well as being produced in Europe, these white wines are also produced in the United States in the coast counties of California. In the eastern US, dry white wines are made from several varieties of grapes developed in the Finger Lakes District of New York State, and Ohio and New Jersey also make them.

Moselle

This is the most delicate of the German dry white wine, and the most famous brand of this kind is the ‘Bernkasteler Doctor’. These wines are pale and flower scented, and because of their fresh acid and low alcoholic content, they are easily digested and they are usually served cold.

Riesling

Most dry white wines of Germany are known as Hock wines, and are produced in three districts known as the Rheingau, Rheinhessen and Rheinpfalz. Perfect Riesling wine is of a slightly greenish colour with a smooth acid bitterness and a scent of the best German white wines. It is again best served cold. The dry white German wines are usually called Rhine wine. California Rieslings are also beautiful wines.

Chablis

This is a dry white wine with a straw colour. Not a lot is made each year because the area In France where it is created is quite small, therefore only a limited amount reaches countries who order it and it is very expensive. It is best served cold. California Chablis is made primarily with Golden Chasselas and Burger grapes grown in the coast counties.

Sauterne

This is a French wine that is claimed by many wine drinkers to be the finest produced anywhere in the world. The vineyard where this wine is made is only two hundred acres, therefore the output is very small every year. Its popularity is very large and only small quantities reach America. Some Sauternes are quite sweet while others are completely dry. Sweet Sauterne is one of the most popular table wines and has a full and intense syrupy flavour. Some great Sauternes are produced in California in the Livermore Valley.





Bill & Sheila’s Wine

The Joys Of White Wine

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Red wines have been very popular lately, thanks to medical reports about their antioxidant and heart-protecting properties. It’s true that red wines are amazing, but that doesn’t mean the other less noticed kinds of wine are bad. White wines are in fact divine; when it comes to their subtle aroma and taste it’s more than the senses with a right amount of sweetness and delicately combined with mild sources.

Wine service at a nice restaurant can be an unnecessarily difficult ordeal. The following tips will allow you to follow the customs of wine service with ease and confidence.

Many people are confused about wine, especially whites. This makes many estranged from the joys of the cellar. For the uninitiated, here are some of the most common kinds of white wine:

1. Chardonnay – The most renowned type of white wine is very much befitting of the superstardom. This type of wine originated in France from grapes of the same name. Its flavour reminds one of the fruity tastes of pineapple, peach, citrus, apple combined with luscious tang of vanilla, oatmeal, and nuts. Chardonnay looks very elegant in a glass with its deep yellow to light greenish transparency.

2. Sauvignon Blanc – Another wine that hails from France, particularly around the Loire valley, the Sauvignon Blanc can also be found in New Zealand. Its flavour evokes freshness of the pastures around its area, reminding one of the aroma of freshly cut grass, giving the wine an herbaceous flavour with hints of fruits. It is best to enjoy this wine immediately as its fresh flavour doesn’t last long.

3. Chenin Blanc – another product of the Loire valley, this exceptional wine usually goes unnoticed as the underdog of the wine kingdom. However its flavours are truly magnificent with hints of tangy pineapple and lime combined with the sweetness of honey and liquorice. This one lasts longer and can keep up to 10 years.

4. Gewurztraminer – This one comes from Alsace, France. A wine with a louder character, with hints of spice and floral taste.

5. Pinot Gris – this crisp and smoky wine with hints of apricot comes from Alsace, North Eastern Italy, and New Zealand.

6. Riesling – a noble tea-like, honey flavoured wine comes from Alsace or Clare Valley in France, or from Germany.

There are so many other kinds of white wines, all evoking elegant and luscious flavours that make them perfect companions for soft cheeses, white sauced pasta, fish and poultry. Of course one can have a glass with any meal or by itself depending on one’s preference.

When it comes to the joys and pleasures brought about by wine, whites can compete with reds. To know more about white wines, it is best to befriend a wine dealer. Cheers!

When choosing a wine from a restaurant’s wine list, the main goal is to accomplish a suitable pairing with the entrees of your party. If the food orders are too different to generalize with one wine, consider purchasing splits or ordering by the glass. Waiters and sommeliers are there to answer your questions, but availing yourself to their services and advice will be much more beneficial if your questions are relatively specific.

Bill & Sheila’s Wine