Garganega

Garganega is an ancient white grape of Italy's Veneto and the heart of Soave, the famous dry white of the hills east of Verona. It is a vigorous, late-ripening variety that gives gentle, delicately textured wines of medium body and medium acidity, scented with almond, white flower, lemon and ripe pear. Restrained and food-friendly rather than showy, the best examples — from the volcanic and limestone slopes of the Soave Classico zone — gain a mineral cut and an unmistakable bitter-almond finish. The same grape also yields one of Italy's great sweet wines, the dried-grape Recioto di Soave.