The real deal
Halfway between Venice and Lake Garda you will find the hilly slopes of Soave. The name Soave may have been debased by the mass production of wine on the plain below, but these volcanic hillsides make the real deal: intense, mineral white wines that typically display notes of lemon and chamomile, and (with some age) almond and honey.
In the 1960s, at a time when many producers were looking to expand onto the plain, oenologist Giuseppe Inama saw his chance. He understood the importance of place, and the potential of the volcanic slopes to make ‘unrepeatable wines’. He bought his first vineyard in the heart of the region, on Monte Foscarino. Fifty years and two generations later, Inama is one of the region’s top producers. To the traditional approach of their grandfather and their father's deep respect for biodiversity, siblings Matteo, Alessio and Luca have added a precision viticulture, parcel-by-parcel approach. Their vineyards on Monte Foscarino now run in a fan from east to south to west. ‘Each year,’ says Matteo, ‘we can select the vineyards that are most expressive in that vintage.’
The main local grape is Garganega, but as Matteo notes, in a place with as much personality as Monte Foscarino, it is terroir more than grape variety that will show in the wine. Inama’s 2019 Foscarino is not a fruit-driven wine, it is much more about herb and blossom and honey. While the intensity of the floral aromatics make you expect a sweet wine, the palate mischeviously delivers a dry one. It is a compelling combination that quickly had me topping up my glass. /NT
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