Soave: A Suave Salve For What Ails You

You write a column about cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay or the wines of Champagne and you have a reasonable chance of getting most readers into the second or third paragraph before they turn the page. Then there are the stories about the obscure, hard-to-pronounce varietals or the misunderstood wine regions of ill repute. You write a column about these wines and readers are turning to the clip-n-save coupons faster than you can say Mad Dog 20/20.

With that in mind, I fearlessly bring you this week a wine made mostly from garganega (that’s gahr-ga-NEH-gah) grapes grown around the town of Soave, Italy.

Wait! Wait! Before you re-read John Kessler’s piece on his hummus memories, let me give you the skinny on Soave.

Of course when you say Soave, everyone thinks of the Verona-based Bolla wine company’s version of Soave, a wine that made so many college freshmen happy back in the 1970s. For better or worse, there is still that. But regardless of how undistinguished those wines are, with a little effort, winemakers in this northeastern region of Italy can—and do—make enjoyable Soave wines.

This fact was brought to my attention in April as I attended the San Destin Wine Festival, one the region’s best, family-friendly wine events. Shortly after our five-and-a-half hour drive to John and Debbie Morris’ comfortable, airy house, just outside Sandestin, I found a glass of white wine in my hand as I stretched out in John’s comfy patio chair. John and Debbie, our hosts, are our friends. John also happens to be one of the most respected wine educators in the Panhandle and is the chief judge for the festival’s January wine competition, which I have participated in the past four years.

“Wow, what is this? It’s delicious,” I said. Trying to conceal a well-earned smirk, John presented me the bottle of Inama Vin Soave. Wine tastes so much better when your mind tells your tongue that you can’t possibly be enjoying something and then your tongue tells your mind to take a hike. So enamored was I with this wine that I made it my business to see if it was available in Georgia. Luckily it is, and in relative abundance, according to its distributor, Quality Wine & Spirits.

But if you can’t find the Inama, look for the words “classico” or “superiore” on any bottle of Soave. Believe it or not, you’ll have a better than average chance of finding something worth writing about.