Cos’è il Soave?
Wine Soaveis a wine that takes its name from the town in the province of Verona where it is produced, is one of the most popular Italian white wines which are sold internationally. It is made with Garganega and Trebbiano di Soavegrapes. The first is characterized by a yellow colour that, close to full maturation, tends almost to copper, and scents of white flowers and almonds. The second is a tasty and lively grape.
This white wine is produced in three different versions: mildly sparkling, sweet (Recioto) and the best known version, the still and dry. The best quality of Soave, the Classico Superiore, is produced in more than 50 million litres per year which, although they may seem like a lot, are only 20% of the total production of Soave wine.
La zona di produzione del Soave
Thearea in cui viene prodotto il Soave is produced is situated on the eastern side of the province of Verona and extends as far as the province of Vicenza, bordered north by Lessini Mountains. This area includes the Soave's hillcharacterized by a basaltic soil, the hill of Colognola ai Colli, the Val Tramigna, and the valleys of Mezzane and Illasi which have a soil rich in limestone sediments and, lastly, the Val d'Alpone which, unlike the others, has soils rich in volcanic rocks.
The history of Soave, known since Cassiodorus' era
"We should never miss Veronese white wines at the royal table", this said Cassiodorus summing up in a nutshell what the wine experts recommended since before the year 1000.
The name of this wine comes from the Swabians whom arrived in Italy under the command of King Alboin. However, this territory has been an agricultural production area since Roman times and, thanks to fossil findings, it has been proved that in this area the vine was existing more than 40 million years ago.
In 1228 the Ezzelinian Statute was drawn up where, in addition to collecting information, rules are set to be followed to achieve the expected final quality of the wine produced. Already in 1500, in Soave, the method by which the vines were managed changed; usually until then the vines "clung" to the trees but in those years they began to manage them in a more practical way, removing them from the trees and attaching them to posts, also developing in a short amount of time the cultivation of low vines.
From 1800 onwards we began to talk about "blending" between Garganega and Trebbiano di Soavethis because the studies of the time had defined this combination as the best in terms of quality of the final product and, on June 9th 1901, the Cantina Sociale di Soave was born, which was the first agricultural cooperative in the Verona area, followed subsequently by the creation of the Consorzio Tutela Vino Soave e Recioto di Soave (Consortium for the Protection of Soave Wine and Recioto di Soave), given the need to protect and rebuild the local vineyards after the advent of various and important diseases that affected the local vines.
The typical characteristics of this wine
As mentioned before, the Soave is harmonious, with a fruity and intense bouquet and a dry flavour, characterized by an aftertaste of white flowers and almonds. The combination of Trebbiano di Soave, very savoury, and Garganega characterized by a high density, make this wine energetic and essential. Some variants of Soave also ripen well in wood, making it an excellent wine to drink in any situation.
This wine is also recognizable by its straw yellow colour tending to greenish, by a low acidity, by its delicate taste, and by an alcohol content that is usually around 11.5%.
Food pairings
Soave is a wine that can be used all round; usually recommended pairings are with fish dishes, appetizers, apéritifs, pumpkin tortellini, white meats such as rabbit shellfish such as clams. Some versions of this wine, aged in oak barrels, are also excellent with more complex and tasty dishes such as pasta or risotto with truffles, as well as being consumed as sipping wines.
Recipe for a dish prepared with the use of Soave wine
A typical dish of Verona, in the preparation of which this wine is used, is the lavarello ( common whitefish) with rocket salad and Soave wine.
For the preparation of this dish for one person you will need these ingredients: lavarello of about 250 gr (previously cleaned), a few leaves of rocket salad, white flour, half a glass of Soave and extra virgin olive oil.
Proceed by placing a drizzle ofextra virgin olive oilin a non-stick pan, cover with flour the lavarello and cook by browning first the part of the fish pulp, then turning it on the side of the skin. Then put the rocket leaves on the lavarello, salt and moist everything with half a glass of Soave. At this point turn off the heat and cover with a lid until the rocket salad is slightly dried. You can then serve the fish by sprinkling it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and accompanying it with a slice of lemon.
