Garganega

Garganega is the grape of Soave, in the hills east of Verona, and it is one of the most planted white varieties in Italy. It is an old Veneto variety and DNA work has shown it to be a parent of a surprising number of other Italian grapes, including grecanico dorato in Sicily, which turned out to be the same variety under another name.

It crops heavily and ripens late, and both traits shaped Soave's reputation. When the appellation was expanded onto the fertile valley floor in the 1970s and the yields were allowed to run, the wine became thin and forgettable and sold in enormous quantity. The name has been recovering ever since, led by growers on the original volcanic hillsides of Soave Classico.

Held to a low yield it gives a wine of real subtlety: lemon, white almond, ripe pear and camomile, medium acidity, and a texture that grows waxier with a few years in bottle. It also dries well, and Recioto di Soave is a sweet wine made from garganega bunches left on mats until midwinter. Gambellara, next door, makes a similar dry wine.