Winemaker Notes
Gini Soave Classico, made from Garganega, has a straw yellow color with gold-green reflections. Intense and fragrant on the nose, fresh white flowers (hawthorn, elder, cherry blossoms), tropical fruit and white peach. Almond notes, with mineral flavors.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Gini makes its entry-level Soave Classico from 70-year-old vines rooted in volcanic and limestone soils and fermented with wild yeasts. It rests on the lees for six months at low temperatures to block malolactic conversion and retain the wine’s fresh, fruity profile. Flavors of crushed apple and pear mix with notes of nutmeg and lemon peel, brightened by crackling acidity.
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Wine Spectator
A lithe, light-bodied white, with racy acidity and a subtle streak of mineral, layered with nectarine, melon and pink grapefruit pith flavors. This is well-knit, with a lingering, lightly spiced finish. Drink now through 2020.
One of Italy’s classic white varieties, Garganega flourishes in the rolling vineyards surrounding the medieval village of Soave and is the dominant variety in the wine from the region, aptly known as, Soave. By law it makes up 70-100% of the blend with the remainder traditionally finished off by Trebbiano di Soave for its crispness. Somm Secret—The best Soave wines, measurably elegant and vibrant, come from the Soave Classico zone, in the center of Soave, where the hills are made of decomposed volcanic and granitic soils.
Among Italy’s classic whites capable of great potential, Soave is named after the medieval village and surrounding hillsides from whence it comes. The original, historical Soave zone, delimited back in 1927, covers the eastern, volcanic hillsides of today's general Soave zone and is called Soave Classico.
Garganega, the indigenous grape responsible for great Soave, produces medium bodied white wines with fine acidity. Typical in the best Soaves are lively flowery and fresh herbal aromas and flavors such as orange zest, peach, melon and marjoram. The best can take some age and in so doing, develop notes of chamomile, marmalade and honey.
By the 1960s and 70s, Soave was enjoying such a glorious global reputation, that its demand forced growers to push beyond the zone's original borders. Expansion led west out of the hills and onto the alluvial plain of the Adige River. This, coupled with an increase in yields and allowance of additional varieties such as Trebbiano, Chardonnay and Pinot blanc, met demand but created a softer, fruit-forward, everyday Soave. Today the broader region can be the source of charming and value driven whites. But those labeled as Soave Classico or in rare cases, as Soave Colli Scaligeri (nearby hillside vineyards abutting the Classico zone), will be the best quality and age-worthy Soaves. These are often 100% Garganega.