Following the EWBC 2011 in Brescia, I went with a number of fellow-bloggers on a day trip to Soave, guided by Elisabetta Tosi . We visited 3 wineries – Balestri Valda, Coffele and Cantina Sociale di Soave and met a group of winemaker – Soavecru - in the Palazzo Vescovile in Monteforte d’Alpone, where we had lunch with them and tasted their wines.
This is the fifth in a series of postings on Soave:
Blogging, Wining and Dining at the European Wine Bloggers Conference (#EWBC) October 2011 in Brescia, Italy – A Tour D’ Horizont
Wining and Blogging in the Soave Region, Italy
Visiting Balestri Valda in Soave, Italy
Meeting the Winemakers of the Soavecru Association in the Palazzo Vescovile in Monteforte d’Alpone, Soave, Italy
The final posting will be:
How Ricioto di Soave is Made
The Soave Zone
Soave is a white wine produced in the surrounding area of the fascinating middle age villages of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone, between the picturesque cities of Venice and Verona in the eastern part of the province of Verona in Italy’s Veneto region.
The majority of the vineyards are in the hills. Beautiful centuries-old castles, churches, bell towers, and aristocratic villas are all part of the rich history and traditions of this area, and indicative of the region’s principal product, Soave wines. There are about 3000 growers and 120 wineries, ranging from boutique producers making wine from tiny plots to a few large cooperatives, which make credible wine at attractive prices.
Many of the vineyards are comprised of basalt rock or volcanic stone, which explains the minerality in the wines, while other sites are more dominated by calcaire (limestone). Given the excellent drainage of hillside vineyards, yields are naturally low, which provides more deeply concentrated wines which can age for many years.
Soave has developed a reputation of producing simple, crisp wines which pair very well with Italian but also other food. Soave wines tend to have low acid. It is one of the top selling wines in Italy, exported all over the world.
The prevailing grape is the Garganega, the fifth most planted white grape in Italy. Soave must contain at least 70 percent of Garganega, and the rest can be Trebbiano, but Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco are also allowed.
Classification of Soave Wines
All Soave wines – as all Italian wines – belong to one of the following 4 quality levels.
(1) Vino da Tavola (VDT): A very basic wine, made for local consumption; the bottle label does not indicate the region or grape variety. This is the wine you typically get served in a Pizzeria or Trattoria in Italy, when you ask for the “house wine”. Simple, cheap and decent. I can tell, sitting late in the evening at a Piazza in Soave and eating Pizza with a Vino da Tavola, served in a 1 liter jug, is just great.
(2) Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT): Wines that are considered to be of higher quality than simple table wines, but which do not conform to DOC and DOCG regulations. In the case of Soave, the label would only indicate the region, Veneto. So, you would not recognize it as a Soave. Sometimes, these are premium wines of winemakers who dropped the DOC/DOCG designation and instead carry the broader Veneto IGT designation, allowing them to try to improve quality by using nontraditional grapes, blends, viticultural practices or vinification techniques that are not allowed under the DOC and DOCG standards.
(3) Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC). Soave is currently the largest DOC appellation in Italy, with 15,500 acres of vines. There is Soave DOC and Soave Classico DOC. Soave Classico DOC can only come from the Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone communes. The Soave zone produces approximately 40 million bottles of Soave DOC wine every year and 15 million Soave Classico DOC wine.
(4) Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). DOCG wines are a tick higher in terms of quality requirements than DOC wines (maximum yield for example), which is the highest category in Italy's wine-classification system. About 13,000 acres of vine of the 15,500 acres of the DOC appellation also qualify for DOCG.
There are 2 Soave DOCG appellations: The Soave Superiore DOCG and the Recioto di Soave DOCG.
The Soave Superiore DOCG production zone is in the hillside sites, outside of the communes of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone. If aged for a minimum of 2 years, the wine can be labeled as Riserva.
Second, there is Recioto di Soave DOCG, which can come as Bianco (normale), Classico (from the classical zone) and Spumante. These are sweet-style straw wines, where the grapes are dried indoors in open plastic containers for from four to six months, during which they lose over 50% of their moisture, followed by a long, slow fermentation, often in small barrels.
Straw wines are typically sweet wines, capable of long life, but do not have to be sweet. For example, the straw wines from the blend of red wine grapes typical of Valpolicella can come as dry or sweet: If fermentation is complete, the result is a (dry) Amarone della Valpolicella; if fermentation is incomplete, the result is a (sweet) Recioto della Valpolicella. Fermentation may stop for several reasons including high alcohol.
An Anchor for Winemaking in Soave: Cantina di Soave
The Cantina di Soave was founded in 1898 and is today one of Italy’s most prestigious wine producers. With 6,000 hectares of vineyards, the winery not only boasts an impressive past, but exhibits today a dynamism that is expressed in a wealth of initiatives and novel challenges. Piece by piece, Cantina di Soave has succeeded in assembling over time an illustrious mosaic of winemaking facilities and vineyards that now extends far beyond its territory of Soave, home of the celebrated Soave wine, to include the Garda area and the hills of Valpolicella, the domain of Amarone.
Faithful to its tradition of constant growth and to careful attention to the distinctive characteristics of each single growing area, Cantina di Soave has created over the years a rich portfolio of vineyards dedicated for the most part to growing the area’s native grape varieties, in particular the Garganega grape, which produces Soave, and Corvina, Molinara, and Rondinella, which yield Valpolicella, Ripasso, and Amarone. The winery’s goals are to further develop the varieties’ quality potential and to contribute to their long tradition, to which Cantina di Soave feels itself strongly bound. As the latest pearl in its already-precious strand, the winery has acquired the Montecchia di Crosara cellar, whose standard-bearer, Durello, is produced from the indigenous Durella grape.
The 6 Sites of Cantina di Soave
HISTORICAL HEADQUARTERS IN VIA ROMA, SOAVE - Operating since 1898, this is Cantina di Soave’s historic original headquarters, located within the circuit of the city walls.
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES, VIALE VITTORIA, SOAVE - Cantina di Soave’s administrative offices and winemaking facility, opened in 1962, occupies 40,000 sq.mt; most of Cantina di Soave’s wines are made and packaged here.
CANTINA DI CAZZANO DI TRAMIGNA - Located in Valpolicella, the Cazzano di Tramigna winery produces exclusively red wines, and in accord with a policy of specialisation, carries out the appassimento (natural semi-drying of the grapes) process for red wines, including Ripasso and Amarone.
CANTINA DI BORGO ROCCA SVEVA - The winery in Borgo Rocca Sveva, the historically-important hamlet restored to pristine magnificence in 2003, produces, matures, and packages the ROCCA SVEVA wines, Cantina di Soave’s ultra-premium wine line. In its caves too matures EQUIPE 5, the vintage-dated classic-method spumante. One of Borgo Rocca Sveva’s most striking features is its underground ageing cellars, a fascinating, 2,000 sq.mt.-system of caves that honeycombs the rock formations beneath the Castello di Soave. These unique passageways naturally maintain a constant temperature and humidity year-round, perfect conditions for the storage and ageing of the most valuable wines.
CANTINA DI ILLASI - Joining forces with the historic Cantina di Illasi was in accord with a policy of improving and rationalising wine production in the hill areas of Valpolicella. The 2005 union made it possible to establish a large production facility to the east of Verona, which can handle 47% of the Valpolicella DOC, with economies of scale that lead to obvious benefits for costs.
CANTINA DI MONTECCHIA DI CROSARA - The acquisition of this cellar in Montecchia di Crosara satisfied the need for large-scale production capability, which is indispensible today if one is to remain competitive and to exercise influence in markets around the globe. This union enabled Cantina di Soave, already one of Italy’s foremost vertically-integrated winery cooperatives, to strengthen its position within the Italian and European wine markets, and to become the main producer of Lessini Durello (with 70% of Lessini Durello DOC).
CANTINA DI SOAVE, USA BRANCH - In 2009, Cantina di Soave USA opened in Boston, Massachusetts, thus ensuring the Verona-based producer an important, front-line presence in the American market; its goal is the re-launching of the wine denominations traditional to Verona, including Soave, Valpolicella, and Amarone, where Cantina di Soave occupies a leading role.
The Cantina di Soave Wine Portfolio
Soave Superiore Classico DOCG
Castelcerino
Grapes: Garganega 80%, Trebbiano di Soave 20%.
Origin: Castelcerino vineyard.
Fining: in stainless steel tanks for 9 months followed by 3 months in the bottle.
Soave Classico DOC
Grapes: 100% Garganega.
Origin: from the historic Classico zone, which lies between the quaint medieval town of Soave itself and the Monteforte d’Alpone.
Fining: in stainless steel tanks.
Bardolino Classico DOC
Grapes: Corvina and Molinara 70%, Rondinella 30%.
Fining: in stainless steel tanks for 6 months.
Valpolicella superiore DOC
Grapes: Corvina 70%, Molinara and Rondinella 30%.
Origin: the vineyards are situated in the DOC Valpolicella area.
Fining: the wine is aged in large oak barrels for at least 10 months and is then refined in bottle for 4-6 months.
Valpolicella superiore DOC
Ripasso
Grapes: Corvina 70%, Molinara and Rondinella 30%.
Origin: The vineyards are situated in the DOC Valpolicella area.
Wine making Ripasso is the refermentation of Valpolicella on the lees of Amarone.
and fining: The result is a much greater concentration of flavours and aromas, producing extra body and pleasant smoothness. Ageing is 30% in barriques and 70% in large oak barrels for 12-18 months, and 6 months fining in the bottle.
Amarone della Valpolicella DOC
Grapes: Corvina 70%, Molinara and Rondinella 30%.
Origin: the vineyards are situated in the DOC Valpolicella area.
Wine making the hand picked grapes dried for at least 3 months. After crushing and
and fining: fermentation, the wine ages in large oak barrels from Slavonia for at least 24 months and is then refined in bottle for 12 months.
Alcohol content: 14.5% vol.
Amarone della Valpolicella DOC
RiservaGrapes: Corvina 70%, Molinara and Rondinella 30%.
Origin: the vineyards are situated in the DOC Valpolicella area.
Wine making the hand picked grapes are dried for at least 3 months. After crushing
and fining: and fermentation, the wine ages in large oak barrels from Slavonia for at least 48 months and is then refined in bottle for 12 months.
Alcohol content: 15% vol.
Garda Chardonnay DOC
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay.
Fining: in stainless steel tanks for 5 months.
Alcohol content: 12.5% vol.
Garda Cabernet Sauvignon DOC
Grapes: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Fining: the wine is aged in 225 litre barriques for at least 12 months, followed by
refining in the bottle for 6 months.
Alcohol content: 13% vol
Lycos bianco delle Venezie IGT
Grapes: Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave.
Fining: in barriques for 12 months followed by refining in the bottle for 12 months.
Alcohol content: 13% vol.
Fulvo Rosso delle Venezie IGT
Grapes: Corvina, Croatina.
Fining: in barriques for about 20 months and 6 months in the bottle.
Alcohol content: 13% vol.
Recioto di Soave classico DOCG Recioto di Soave classico DOCG Mida
Grapes: 100% Garganega.
Wine making the grapes are dried for at least 3 months. 50% aged in steel tanks, 50%
and fining: in barriques for 12 months.
Alcohol content: 12.5% vol.
Recioto di Soave classico DOCG Mida
Grapes: 100% Garganega.
Wine making the grapes are dried for at least 3 months. 50% aged in steel tanks, 50%
and fining: in barriques for 12 months.
Vino da Tavola
schiller-wine: Related Postings
The Wines of the 2010 Giro d'Italia
Italy's Top Wines - 2011 Gambero Rosso's Vini d'Italia Wine Guide
Meeting Winemaker and Owner Massimo “Max” di Lenardo from Friuli, Italy and Tasting His di Lenardo Vineyards Wines
In the Glass: 3 Easy Drinking Wines from the Soave Region in Italy
The Wines of casa 236 in Italy – Peter Schiller
In the Glass: 2010 Pinot Grigio, Venezia Giulia IGT, Attems, Italy
Kobrand’s Impressive Tour d'Italia 2011 in Washington DC, USA
The 2010 European Wine Bloggers Conference (EWBC) in Vienna
Blogging, Wining and Dining at the European Wine Bloggers Conference (#EWBC) October 2011 in Brescia, Italy – A Tour D’ Horizont
Wining and Blogging in the Soave Region, Italy
Visiting Balestri Valda in Soave, Italy
Meeting the Winemakers of the Soavecru Association in the Palazzo Vescovile in Monteforte d’Alpone, Soave, Italy
No comments:
Post a Comment