SOAVE SUPERIORE DOCG

Veneto Wine

VINEYARD CHARACTERISTICS:

Grape variety: Garganega 100%
Municipal area: Mezzane di Sotto (VR)
Altitude: 200-250m. Above sea level
Exposure: North-South
Type of soil: Gravelly with presence of limestone
Type of growth: Pergola Veronese
Density: 3100 vines/hectare
Year of planting vineyard: 1963
Average yield: 65 Hl/ha
Harvest: Manual, in 15 kg crates

PRODUCTION TECHNIQUE:

Destemming of grapes and crushing.
Light skin maceration for 2-3 hours.
Pressing. Cold storage of must for 24-36 hours.
Racking, alcoholic fermentation at controlled temperature malolactic fermentation at 50% and refining in steel tank at controlled temperature for 12 months.
After bottling, the bottles are left to refine for a period of six months.

ALCOHOL CONTENT: 13% vol.

SERVING TEMPERATURE: 9 - 11 °C

The Grapes Garganega

Garganega is best known as the white grape variety used to make Soave and Gambellara in Veneto, northern Italy. However in the early years of the 21st Century, DNA profiling revealed that it is the same variety as Grecanico Dorato, a mainstay in the vineyards of Sicily.

Veneto and Sicily, separated by Italy's full 1.000Kms (600-mile) length, are collectively home to more than 11,000 ha (27,000 acres) of Garganega vines, making the variety one of Italy's most widely planted, in every sense. Whichever end of Italy it comes from, the classic Garganega wine is marked out by aromas of peach blossom, almond, apricot and baked golden apples.

Despite the worldwide fame of its key wine style, Soave, Garganega itself remains virtually unheard-of. This is largely because the variety's name is not included on Soave wine labels. In an increasingly varietal-centric wine world, any grape whose name never appears on labels is almost certain to remain in the shadows; moreover Garganega is neither easy to pronounce nor particularly pleasing to the ear.

In its homeland – the Veneto region of northeastern Italy – Garganega is held in very high regard, both in the vineyard and the winery. Growers appreciate the variety's generous yields, and the loose-knit bunch structure, which increases ventilation and reduces the risk of fungal disease. This latter quality is also an advantage when it comes to drying the grapes (appassimento) for the production of sweet recioto wines.

Winemakers also appreciate the grape for its high yields, but perhaps moreso for its moderate acidity, elegant perfume and high concentration of aroma compounds. This useful combination of qualities allows them to establish their own balance between quality and quantity. If they restrict the variety's naturally abundant yields, their reward is higher-quality grapes and finer wine. If they leave the vines unchecked, they have more wine to sell. Few varieties allow winemakers to position themselves so freely on the quality: quantity scale.

The variety's contribution to Italian viniculture has been significant in various regards. Not only is it one of the country's most widely planted varieties, it is also one of the oldest. The northern Italian élite have been praising Soave wines since at least the 6th Century, when Cassiodorus (a statesman to King Theoderic the Great) described them as being "white and pure as a lily". it is the forefather of numerous other varieties, including Veneto's own rarity Dorona di Venezia.

Our wines

Wines embody the spirit of the Veneto area.

Wines from the classic color and intense, elegant aromas, good structure and tannins, suitable for long aging.

Vineyard and cellar

The vineyard property, about 13 hectares, is located in the municipality of Mezzane at an altitude ranging from 250 meters to 450 meters above sea level It is cultivated in an environmentally and integrity, favoring the use of natural pesticides, such as copper and sulfur also all the processes related to the production carried out by hand.

The cellar is organized in a traditional way and the fermentation of the grapes on the skins in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature aging of wine in barrels of 225 lt. in French oak.