If you have ever enjoyed a trip to Italy, you probably made it to Venice where the bars and restaurants rely on their traditional white wine called Soave (pronounced SUAVE-eh) Classico.
The winemakers in the area have made this lovely drink from the Garganega grape for over 2,000 years, which means they’ve probably been at it long enough to have unleashed most of the grape’s best qualities. This isn’t fruity like Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. Instead, its flavor is steely with a wet rock aroma. Soave is a perfect wine to go with risotto, asparagus, or most gulf shell fish, especially blue crabs.
In Austin, we are lucky to have one of Italy’s best Soave Classicos, Azienda Agricola Inama’s Vin Soave. The wine is made by Alessio, Luca and Matteo Inama, the third generation of the family to operate the winery. Their wine is widely available in Italian restaurants or at Twin Liquors, The Austin Wine Merchant, Whole Foods, Spec’s and occasionally at Total Wine. Prices vary from $12 to $16. Once you have fallen for this wine, you might want to try their high-end bottling called Inama Foscarino ($28). It is made from free-run juice instead of the very lightly pressed juice of the Vin Soave. The Foscarino gets less afternoon sun which makes it just a touch more balanced between floral, fruity and mineral aromas. Think Vin Soave for a weeknight dinner and Foscarino for a weekend feast.
This article appears in October 1 • 2021.
