Soave wines have recently made a resurgence on the world marketplace as the winemakers are focusing their attention on the quality of their wines. Because of the refocus of the winemakers, the Soave wines being produced today are of good quality and are affordable. Soave is a very nice, refreshing white wine made from the Garganega grape variety, and has aroma and flavor characteristics of citrus, tropical, and floral. These wines are wonderful to sip on a warm summers afternoon, or would pair well with light seafood, shellfish, or a nice salad.
The 2008 Rocca Sveva Soave has a beautiful light gold color to it, and the aromas are on the soft side, with floral and tropical notes coming out. The flavor profile is soft as well, with flavors of green apple, a hint of pineapple, jasmine blossoms, and soft minerality. This Soave is a light, crisp white wine, with a short but clean finish. This wine would pair well with grilled shrimp brushed with lemon juice and butter.

Jon

In the Northeastern part of Italy, from the Veneto region come some fantastic wines called Soave. Soave is located close to the historical town of Verona, and these wonderful white wines pair well with a wide variety of foods, or can be enjoyed on their own as an aperitif. In order for a Soave to be classified as a Classico, the vineyards must be within the communes of Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone, in the original and oldest classic “zone” of Verona. For a wine to be called Soave, it must be made from at least 70% of the grape variety called Garganega.
The Cantina del Castello 2010 Soave Classico DOC is a gold straw color in the glass. The aroma profile for this wine is of pineapple, mango, apples, and a touch of citrus. In the mouth this wine displays flavors of pineapple, apples, lemon zest, with a limestone minerality which brings a slight effervescence, and finishes with a subtle tartness. This is a very nice Soave Classico, with good structure, nice acidity, and a nice finish. This wine could easily be drank on its own on a warm summers day, or it would pair well with a light white fish such as tilapia, or would go well with sushi.

Jon

The Veneto Region of Northern Italy is the home for the white wine known as Soave. The Soave production zone is located in the eastern part of the hills of the ancient city of Verona. Soave wine can be traced back thousands of years, and today is the single most exported white wine coming out of Italy. The primary grape variety used in the production of Soave is Garganega, which by law must make up at least 70% to be categorized as Soave. Soave has also undergone significant changes over the past few years, with wine makers focusing more on the characteristics of the Garganega grape variety, which has brought about a much greater quality of Soave wines. With the emphasis on quality, these wines are making a huge resurgence on the world market.
I recently had the opportunity to have several samples of Soave sent to me, and one of them was the Cantina di Monteforte Re Teodorico. This 2010 Soave has a beautiful golden color in the glass, and the aromas are of golden delicious apples, pineapple, honeydew melon, a hint of floral, and citrus. On the palate the ripe fruit flavors were not as pronounced as they were on the nose, and the flavors were of apples, lemongrass, orange blossom, and on the back of the palate a hint of spice. This wine was a bit more complex than I was expecting from a Soave, with good mouth-feel, the acidity was low,  it was medium-bodied, and had a nice lingering finish. This is a very nice wine that would pair well with shellfish.

Jon