Soave Classico wines are produced under the Soave DOC of Veneto, north-eastern Italy, specifically from Soave's traditional classico vineyard zone. They are dry, still white wines made predominantly (at least 70%) from Garganega grapes. In the past decade Trebbiano Toscano and Pinot Bianco have been removed from the official makeup of Soave wines, leaving Chardonnay and Trebbiano di Soave (Verdicchio) as the only other grapes specifically sanctioned for use in the wines.
As is the case with so many Italian DOCs (well-known names like Chianti and Valpolicella among them), the Soave viticultural area was dramatically expanded in the mid–late 20th century. As the additional land rarely yielded the quality wine found in the classic production areas, this led to a drop in the overall quality of wine made under the Soave name. To remedy this, and to create distinction between the quality levels, the Soave Classico title was introduced to cover wines from the traditional, theoretically superior terroir.
The classico zone and title do not apply to sparkling Soave Spumante, and they are mirrored in the sweet wines of the Recioto di Soave DOCG.
For more information, see Soave.
