2016 Gini Soave Classico 750 ml

Surely there are no better food wines than the wines from Italy. Italian white wines are prized for being typically bone-dry, with crisp acidity, exciting freshness, and almost always made in an unoaked style. The Garganega variety in the Gini Soave Classico lends attractive aromas of citrus, chamomile, herbs, and raw almond. Although the Soave Classico region allows for up to 30 percent of other varieties, the Gini is a pure expression of Soave’s native Garganega, grown organically across Gini’s “Cru” vineyards in the hills. In the glass it is a mouthwatering representation, dry and without any oak, and a wine that just begs to be poured at backyard or rooftop summer gatherings. Pair this with seafood right off the BBQ dressed simply with olive oil and lemon, grilled pizza, chicken salad, or paired with crunchy fritto misto.

Ask any wine professional about the top wines of Soave, and you’ll hear the same names again and again: Pra. Pieropan. Inama. And of course, Gini. The brothers make one of Soave’s greatest and most famous wines from ungrafted century-old vines, and all of their wines come from historic vineyards: The 2016 Gini Soave Classico is hand-picked from vines that average 70 years of age. 

Gini is one of the producers smack in the original hills of Soave, which are now designated as DOC Soave Classico, that have guarded the reputation of the region by continuing to produce wholly authentic, focused, and complex wines from the Monteforte d’Alpone hills. These producers are few, but they are fantastic. The Gini family has grown grapes in the Soave Classico zone since the 1600s. There is a deed from the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia signed in 1852 by a Giuseppe Gini, for purchase of land within the Contrada Salvarenza area.

This 100% Garganega hails from a selection of prized hillside vineyards, with vines averaging 70 years of age—delivering old-vine intensity un-matched in the area. But that’s no surprise from Gini—the family has grown grapes since the 1600s! It is this level of quality that put Soave on the map in the first place. But don’t just take it from us—the 2016 Gini Soave Classico was named in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines 2017.