Speri is a family estate in the hills above Verona, and this is Soave as it was meant to be: Garganega grown on the volcanic slopes of the Classico zone, the original and smallest part of the appellation. The 2018 vintage was a warm, even year in the Veneto, which shows in the ripeness of the fruit and the steady line of acidity underneath it.
- Garganega, the grape of Soave, and of little else.
- Soave Classico, the historic hillside zone, not the flatland.
- 2018, a warm and generous Veneto vintage.
- Light body, high acidity, dry, 12.5%.
How it is made
Soave Classico is a hillside appellation. The vineyards sit on volcanic basalt and limestone, which is why the wines carry a mineral edge that the wider Soave zone, on flatter alluvial ground, rarely shows. Speri works in the traditional register: stainless steel for the fermentation, no new oak, nothing that would sit on top of the grape.
How it tastes
Green apple and white peach at the front, then citrus, then a finish that turns toward almond and stone. The acidity is high and the body light, so it reads taut rather than soft. That almond note on the end is characteristic of Garganega and turns up in most serious versions of the wine.
Good to know
Garganega is one of Italy's oldest documented white grapes, and it is a late ripener, which is why it holds its acidity even in warm years. Soave Classico covers only a few thousand hectares, and the best sites are the ones on volcanic soil, where the vines have to work harder and the wines taste like it.
Contains alcohol.
