Acinum Soave Classico DOP 2014: Pale yellow-gold color; clean nose of apples, kiwi, flower petals;
apple, peach on the palate with some lemon, almond, and honey on the finish; dry, nice acidity, very clean, no oak (all stainless steel fermentation), 100% garganega grapes from Soave, a comune in the Veneto region in the province of Vernona, 14 miles east of the city of Verona. Garganega is a signature grape of the region and is Italy’s sixth-most planted grape; in Sicily the grape is known as grecanio. Garganega is exceptionally vigorous, so grape farmers must work to restrain grape production; when they fail, the wines become thin with washed-out flavor—a problem decades ago when Soave first came to U.S. as a cheap jug wine. Do not judge this Soave from Soave Bolla of 40 years ago (and don’t judge Bolla Soave by those long ago efforts, either). This effort has flavor, acidity, and pleasant drinkability. Acinum is a collection of Italian wines put together by Fabrizio Pedrolli to present classic Italian grape varieties in the United States, with focus on Veneto, Valpolicella, and Soave regions. “Soave” means “soft” in Italian, and there is an element of softness to this effort, but acidity, focus, and balance delivers several taste stages from the attack, to the mid-palate, to the intriguing finish, which is nicely sharp, not soft. Attractive alternative to sauv blanc and chenin blanc; highly affordable, too. $12
