Soave

Soave is the famous dry white wine of the volcanic and limestone hills east of Verona, in Italy's Veneto region, made principally from the Garganega grape. It is a light- to medium-bodied, unoaked wine with medium acidity and a soft, almost waxy texture, leading with almond, lemon, white flower and ripe pear over a flinty mineral cut. The best examples come from the original hillside Soave Classico zone, where low yields on basalt and limestone soils give real finesse and a signature bitter-almond finish. The same denomination also yields one of Italy's great sweet wines, the air-dried Recioto di Soave.