Le Battistelle Montesei Soave Classico

Soave (pronounced “swah-vay”) is a dry, lighter to medium bodied Italian white produced from the Garganega (“gar-GAN-nehgah”) grape grown in the volcanic hills around the medieval town of Soave in the Veneto region of northern Italy.

While entry level Soave will be simple, lean and refreshing styles you’ll find other examples (usually labelled Classico, like this one) to be slightly more rich with a slightly oily texture with subtle nutty flavours.

Le Battistelle are wines from the heart of the Soave Classico production area by Gelmino and Cristina Dal Bosco. They started their family business in 2002 after previously providing their grapes to a co-operative before deciding to do it all themselves and produce a range of Soave wines from their 9 hectares of hilly vineyards.

This is their Le Battistelle Montesei Soave Classico, produced from 70-90 year old vines in volcanic soils rich in clay and silt, all hand picked fruit and left in stainless steel on fine lees for around 4 months. Scoring 93/100 with critic James Suckling who loved its “apricots, peaches and a leesy, almondy finish. Medium-bodied, it shines with tingling acidity.”

The label features the “la gerle” – a traditional wooden shoulder or backpack basket used in areas like Italy and Switzerland to carry freshly picked grapes down steep vineyard slopes.

Soave makes an ideal pairing with fish dishes, white meat and mild cheeses.