Does Anyone Still Drink SOAVE?
Does Anyone Still Drink SOAVE?
Soave? Soave?? C’mon, no one drinks that crap anymore, do they?
Leave it to Alice. When we volunteered to host July Rude Tasters, neither of us had a clue what we’d offer. Normally, if it is at our house, it is red. Now when I say that Alice got an idea from a magazine, this is not a statement to take lightly. She subscribes to 80 monthly magazines and buys at least one or two more every time she is in a store that sells magazines to which she doesn’t already subscribe. So, we’re talking about a PhD in magazineology. Yes, she reads well over 100 per month. Reading magazines has been her primary pursuit in retirement.
In the August 2017 issue of “Tastes of Italia / The Italian Grill” Patricia Thompson takes a “Fresh Look at Soave Classico”. Because the reputation of Soave is that of a boring bulk wine region, nearly all of the producers of boring wine have ceased to produce Soave. Fortunately, there are numerous fine wine producers from the Soave region that are not only still in business, but, are making refreshing white wines of the most compelling quality. Thompson’s story focuses on three producers, Suavia, Inama and Pieropan, but visiting Russo’s in Grand Rapids and the Village Corner in Ann Arbor, we found these and many more to consider.
In particular, I was actually looking for the reincarnation of Bolla Soave or “Soave Bolla” as it was called back in the 70’s when Soave and Bolla were synonymous. On their website, it is clear that Bolla takes Soave seriously these days. They produce both a Classico and a “Retro” made from old vine hillside vineyards. Unfortunately, the keepers of the distribution levers felt that these should not be offered in Michigan. Next time I’m in Chicago, LA or NY, I’ll look for them and report back.
So, based on our format, we needed eight wines for the judged tasting and two more for the warm-ups. Our first concern was to include the wines profiled in the “Taste of Italia” article. We ended up with a couple of extra wines, one of which we used as “Birdie Juice” during our latest Senior tournament at our local golf club. It worked!
As always, this is a double blind tasting. The host knows what is being served but not in which order. Everyone else knows nothing other than what they can see, smell or taste. I like to play a game of 20 questions while we are tasting the wines. I was pretty confident that although most of our group are as old as Alice and I, none would still remember Soave and even less than none* would know that it is either 100% Garganega or a blend with mostly Garganega. My guess was correct. No one got it. Even after giving the clue “Romeo and Juliette”, and getting a rousing “Verona”, still not one person came up with Soave. It wasn’t until I suggested the image of a really cool, suave, Italian stallion walking down the lanes of Verona pinching the girls and asked “what would this young man be?” that I got two answers. The first answer was “arrested” and the second was “Soave”. That was on about the 25th guess.
THE WARM UPS
A. 2015 Giovanni Frattori Gregoris Soave 100% Garganega (12.5% ABV) $11.99 This was a fresh, clean, light wine of no real distinction, basically what I remember Soave being. My score 82 points.
B. 2014 Pieropan Soave Classico, mostly Garganega with Trebbiano (12% ABV) $15.99 Though softer, it had a slight “lift” in the middle which made it the clear favorite of the group between the two. Notice the difference is Soave vs. Soave Classico same as the first flight. It does seem to matter. My score 85 points.
FIRST FLIGHT
1. 2014 Giovanni Frattori Danieli Terrini Vulcanici Soave 100% Garganega (12.5% ABV) $14.99 Though the tiny hint of a haze didn’t bode well, as soon as I put my nose near the glass, a huge resinous incense-like smell emerged with lots of fresh citrus (grapefruit in particular) throughout. Though typical alcohol content, it did have nice drippy legs. My score 84 points, group score 90 points, 2nd place.
2. 2015 Tenuta di Corte Giacobbe Soave 100% Garganega (12.5% ABV) $19.99 This may sound ridiculous, but this very clean lovely fruit filled wine reminds me of egg salad. Alice who is the queen of egg salad, thought I was crazy and felt the wine was quite earthy. My score 80 points, group score 85 points, 6th place.
3. 2015 Inama Soave Classico 100% Garganega (12% ABV) $15.99 This is the most supple of all of the wines tasted here. I remember the first time I tasted an Italian white wine close to 50 years ago and thinking it had a round toffee-like texture in spite of being clean and fresh. So, this is typical of the genre to be sure. My score 85 points, group score 93 points, 1st place.
4. 2014 Suavia Soave Classico 100% Garganega (12.5% ABV) $15.99 To me, this is the class of the tasting. Breed, elegance, finesse, it has it in spades. The finish can be felt distinctly with stones and grape skins to the end. My score 92 points, group score 89 points, 3rd place.
SECOND FLIGHT
5. 2014 Pieropan Calvarino Soave Classico, mostly Garganega with Trebbiano (12.5% ABV) $29.99 Delightfully quaffable, the clear, fine, almost transparent refreshing personality is better suited to a “porch wine” than a $30 serious white. If your pockets are deep, enjoy it! My score 89 points, group score 88 points, 4th place.
6. 2014 Pieropan La Rocca Soave Classico, mostly Garganega with Trebbiano (13% ABV) $39.99 Yikes! $40 Soave?! Again, this wine is as clear and fresh as a mountain spring. And although it might be the ultimate “porch wine”, I don’t get the price. My score 89 points, group score 86 points, 5th place.
7. 2015 Anselmi San Vincenzo Veneto IGT**, 80% Garganega, 10% Chardonnay, 10% Sauvignon Blanc (12.5% ABV) $14.99 This is a huge wine. Had it not been in this tasting, it could have easily been mistaken for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Cat piss is the overriding bouquet with a huge mouth filling green herb texture. Everyone wondered if it was a bad bottle, so I opened a bottle of the 2016 San Vincenzo and it was nearly identical. Pretty much everyone disliked it. I wonder how it would have done in a blind Sauvignon Blanc tasting. My score 83 points, group score 75 points, 8th (last) place.
8. 2013 Anselmi Capitel Foscarino Veneto IGT**, 80% Garganega, 10% Chardonnay, 10% Sauvignon Blanc (13.5% ABV) $24.99 Big and lush, rounder and fatter than the San Vincenzo but spoiled by a hint of SO2 in the nose along with a beauty parlor scent. Ammonia? My score 80 points, group score 78 points, 7th place
Even though the Anselmi wines are no longer DOC Soave, I remember when they were. Frustrated with the traditional restrictions of DOC Soave, Anselmi has gone maverick abandoning the DOC regulations in pursuit of exciting, vibrant, modern wines. I’m sure they feel that they have succeeded, but, in the context of Soave and Soave Classico, the Anselmi wines are hard to like when compared to these deliciously quaffable wines. By and large, we enjoyed the wines. I wouldn’t spend over $16 however for any of them. As moderately priced white wines, they prove to be deliciously refreshing with lighter fare, seafood and golf.
Enjoy in Good Health,
Brian Cain, the Michigan Vintner
*Fans of NPR’s “Car Talk” will know how knowledge and advice as given by Ray and the late Tommy Magliozzi by their own admission can have a sum total of less than zero.
**Grown and produced in the region of Soave Classico, but, not according to traditional practices or regulations.
