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Veneto's 17th Industry - 2007/05/09 13:36
Veneto, the region around Verona, is the number one exporter of wine in Europe. It was number one in the world until a few years ago when the inexhaustible Australians claimed that position. Veneto's pinot grigio production exceeds many countries total wine production alone. Just like Chianti, wines from this region became the symbol of over production a few decades ago.
While some producers still make behemoth amounts of wine, there is a trend moving in the opposite direction for many winemakers. Hands on vineyard management, small batch production, and preserving old vines, old practices are now new practices.
Stefano Inama poured his wines at City Wine a few months ago and entertained us with his musings about Verona and winemaking. He talks about garganega, the signature grape of Soave. This is a grape that can be ordinary when allowed to produce copious amounts of wine and glorious when its production is limited. Stefano is the ambassador of handcrafted Soave.
"Garganega was planted by the Romans. This variety has been around for over 2,000 years. The Roman's planted only in volcanic soils. Garganega is the most incredible bio-diverse grape in the world." He uses old French barriques and tells us that his Soave and Soave Classico are thirty and forty year old vines respectively. I asked him how long the Classico will last in a cellar, to which he replied, "It depends on who you are."
He is very proud of how his family has preserved this grape and has strived to produce the finest Soave. As we taste his Soave Classico he describes it "minerality, elder flowers, chamomile . . . like all the classic wines it is not fruit driven wine; it is floral. The old vines offer balance between tannins and acid, which creates more complexity. Vines can live as long as human beings. We try to do what we can to keep them alive. I have 100 year old vines."
Stefano is a bit of an entertainer and keeps his audience attention by telling a tale of how he wanted the Italian government to establish a wine institute. "They say there are 130-140 grape varieties, but only about 40 are commercial varieties. No one keeps track of the grapes." He visited the officials in his state to have a conversation about getting this established.
"Verona is the largest producer of wine in Europe, but Italy doesn't have an institute of wine. When I went to [the government] to ask them why we don't have an institute of wine, they pointed the plaques on the wall. They said that Italy is number one in mechanics in Europe. My city is number one in the world for producing machinery for cutting marble . . . and then there is tourism. They then told me that wine was seventeenth in commerce."
If they are number one in exports of European wine, then Italians must build a lot of machinery!
The final wine we taste is his Bradisismo Rosso, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, carmenère, and merlot. I was surprised to see carmenère in the blend and asked him how that happened. With a big grin he says, "I snuck it in."
Read reviews of Stefano's wines.
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