This August when heading to your favorite summer picnic spot or just enjoying family and friends at home, try an old favorite wine from the past: Soave.
I spoke with Franco Pedroni, the US Brand Ambassador for Rocca Sveva, about Rocca Sveva Wines and Soave in particular. In Italy, Soave has always remained a popular wine but here in the states, it slid in popularity after the seventies.
Let’s face reality. Many excellent whites are made in Italy. Soave, a nice white, has, however, been an unfair victim of being too well known years back. The market was flooded with cheap and bad Soaves and in an apparently headstrong spiral of inverse wine snobbery, some well known wines have become too popular. Pino Grigio and Merlot are prime examples. The movie Sideways just about destroyed Merlot! Commercial success here in America can certainly lead to progressive wine arrogance.
Soave, however, is rightfully reincarnating and finally getting its proper respect. It is a region, it is a noble wine, and it is a great wine when left in the right hands. Over the past few decades, a growing number of quality-minded producers also have been bringing Soave back to prominence.
When the grapes are carefully selected from the very classic Soave region, it makes a huge difference and now Americans are starting to recognize this and get reaquainted with Soave. Cantina di Soave makes just that type of painstaking selection and production. That is why this boutique producer has great credibility with wine lovers in and out of Italy, helping the movement back toward Soave.
Pairing tip: Franco notes that Soave’s roundness and freshness are perfect for summer. Soave with any pork or fish cooked outside is remarkable for pairing but also is real treat when served in a picnic of good prosciutto and melon or with some softer cheeses such as brie or camembert. It also is refreshingly crisp and suitable for antipasti and white fish.
Rocca Sveva Wines (www.roccasveva.com) is nestled in the hills of the world-renown Soave Classico region. Its handcrafted artisanal wines, composed of historic Veronese grapes, elevate the bar among super-premium estate wines. The Rocca Sveva Estate has 371 acres of vineyard plots and 2,500 square meters of cellars excavated into rock. This oenologist project, or study of winemaking, by Cantina di Soave focuses on small production of the indigenous wines of Veronese varietals. Rocca Sveva conducts “green harvests” only by hand! Soave products from Rocca Sveva include DOCG Rocca Sveva Castelcerino Soave Superiore Classico, as well as DOC Rocca Sveva Soave Classico.