Soave

In an effort to shed some light on how I study for WSET Diploma Course’s D3 exam, Le Club des Vins is running a series of posts covering wine regions. Today’s topic: Soave

📍 Location

Soave is located east of Verona in the Veneto wine region. You can see the Valpolicella hills from the Soave vineyards. Also, you see an ocean of vines on the flat lands, this is Glera, used for the production of Prosecco.⠀⠀

In a nutshell

Italy
Continental with cooling influences
Volcanic or limestone
Garganega

☁️ Climate

Continental climate with cooling influences (mists) from the Po River. The region can be divided in two parts: the flat lands and the hillsides. The latter is referred to as Soave Classico, the historical production zone. They are in general of better quality due to the better aspect, drainage and the cooling influence of altitude. Here the grapes get fully ripe and retain acidity.⠀⠀
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🌋 Soils

The best vineyards are located on the volcanic or limestone soils. These soils were created by ancient submarine eruptions followed by elevation of the entire seabed.
The Consorzio started mapping all vineyards in 2000, including analyzing and identifying the geology and soil type. All of the 33 crus are located on a hillside.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

🍇 Grapes & style

Garganega grapes must now constitute at least 70 percent of any modern Soave wine, accompanied by a maximum of 30 percent Chardonnay and Trebbiano di Soave (Verdicchio). Premium wines can age well and develop aromas of almond and honey. Besides dry white wines, there is also ‘Recioto di Soave DOCG’, a sweet wine produced by the vinification of semi-dried grapes.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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💡 Something you didn’t know

Guyot vs. Pergola? The study has analyzed the impact of the two training methods during the past 10 years and finds major differences between the resulting wines. In hot years such as 2003, Pergola seems more efficient in protecting the grapes from the burning sun. In general, Soaves from Guyot trained vines were fuller with higher alcohol. On the other hand, Pergola training resulted in lighter and more delicate wines.

Your turn now

I always put a new region on instagram first. If you have any additions or comments on a region, please do share. You can drop a comment on instagram or on the website – see below. Your help is much appreciated!