Anyone who only knows Soave from the pizzeria around the corner or from the supermarket shelf is unlikely to have a high opinion of this most famous of all Italian white wines. Yet the best wines of the region, which essentially stretches around the towns of Soave and Montforte d'Alpone and from there a few kilometres to the north, are anything but the thin alcoholic beverages with which Soave is so readily associated.
From reduced yields, the volcanic rock soils of the best, often steep and terraced sites produce finely aromatic wines with rather moderate acidity, almondy-nutty tones and aromas of citrus fruits and apples. Their generally bone-dry style makes them excellent food companions that can be used in a variety of ways even when young, but often gain considerably with a certain amount of bottle maturity. The best examples can also mature for eight to ten years without any problems and finally radiate a noblesse that one would perhaps never have expected from a Soave.