Notes on Soave

The most widely accepted explanation of the name, Soave, is that the beautiful Soave area took its name from the Suevians, a Germanic people who came down into Italy with Alboin, the Longobard king.

Even if evidence of winegrowing in the Soave area dates back to ancient times, this wine's fame especially developed in the early 20th Century. This happened when the larger Veronese wineries promoted Soave on all the national and foreign markets, and today this wine has earned the coveted description “Classic eminent Italian white wine” and the prestigious status as the most exported Italian white wine.

Back in 1931 Soave was the most important Italian wine and was recognized as a “typical and prestigious” wine. Its identity was definitively protected by recognition of the controlled designation of origin in 1968 (DPR August 21, 1968).

The basic grape varieties used in Soave are Garganega (gar-gah-NAY-gah) and Trebbiano di Soave, which are both cultivated by the impulse of nature and the patience of wine growers. Trebbiano di Soave has traditionally always been present in the vineyards, though it has gradually given way to the more exuberant Garganega.

Eons ago, the Soave area was covered by a tropical sea, as evidenced by saline sediments in the soil that are expressed in Soave wine, with its rich mineral quality and distinctive fresh, clean and fruit-forward flavors. The tufaceous volcanic terroir of this area also lends to the development of complex and multi-faceted white wines.

The use of the specification “Classico” with the designation “Soave” is reserved for the product made from grapes harvested and vinified in the municipalities of Soave and Monteforte d'Alpone, i.e. the oldest, original “classic” zone.