Suavia, from the cutting edge of Soave

xThe Soave vineyards of Suavia have been in the Tessari family hands since 1887. The family grew high quality grapes for the local co-operative cellars, like so many other farmers in the area. But in 1992, Giovanni Tessari saw the potential for the vineyards and built his own gravity-flow winery on the farm, near the village of Fittà.Since then, the wines of Suavia have been amongst a small band of Soave producers who have raised the bar for this appellation, making wines from the traditional Garganega and Trebbiano grapes. The wines retain Soave’s fine, crisp, mineral quality, whilst adding layers of complexity. The secret of this is careful selection of special clones matched to specific sites, lowering yeilds, and great attention to detail in the winemaking.

The UK importer and main supplier of these wines is Bibendum Wine, though there are other stockists.

The wines

Suavia (Italy) Soave Classico 2005
Fresh, appealing blend of 95 per cent Garganega and five per cent Trebbiano, with a slightly mineral nose, with a touch of herbs and grassy nettle quality. On the palate there is quite a refined character to this wine, with plenty of fruit, but secondary notes of herbs and more dry, flowers and minerals, and terrific acidity. 88/100. £8.30

Suavia (Italy) Soave Classico Monte Carbonare 2004
This is a single vineyard Soave made from 100 per cent Garganega. It is intense, with a note of hessian and plenty of that herbal character on the nose. There is a real minerality here, with a stony, schisty quality and plenty of concentration and seriousness evident. On the palate that smoky, schisty minerality persists, with masses of herb-tinged white fruit and a great core of orange and grapefruit acidity. 92/100. £11.43.

Suavia (Italy) Recioto di Soave 2003
Only around 3,500 bottles of this 100 per cent Garganega wine are produced, by the traditional Recioto method of drying the hravested grapes on mats for several months before fermentation and ageing in oak barrels. It has delicate notes of honey and freshly brewed tea that dominate the nose, with a little dried fruit and glacé fruit and a touch of vanilla. On the palate it is extremely thick and unctuous, coating the mouth in a paste of honey and thick, fat peach and orange fruit, but a really striking core of acidity sweeps through, giving length and crispness and tang to the finish. 92/100. 37.5cl is £17.00