“Swah-vay, like Rico Suave” she said correcting my pronunciation of the Italian Veneto region’s Soave denominazione di origine controllata (DOC).  This is primarily the Garganega grape, Chardonnay and Trebbiano di Soave are allowed to play as long as 70% is Garganega. These white wines strike me as smoother and more elegant (not official wine terminology) wines than Sauvignon Blanc, but very similar. So if you like a Sauv. Blanc but want something a little less acidic (less mouth watery) then this would be a great try. They also take on a nice mellowing (almond) as they age.  The oldest one I tried was a 2014, but the best was a 2015 and had by far the most interesting flavors with a little spice. Great for warm weather, sipped alone or with seafood, definitely a fun new region and grape for me. Rico Suave it is. In no particular order…

First, a Classico – which means it’s the historic area of a DOC.  The DOC could actually be larger than the area where the style was originally produced.  Classico can be thought of as higher quality. We enjoyed this one as part of an Italian wine tasting we hosted for our neighbors…what else are you going to do when there are hurricane rains raging outside? I gave this 3 stars, great value for the $10.99 price from Total Wine.

• Wine: Soave Classico from Montresor 2017
• Look: Brilliant, Pale, and Clear
• Smell: Clean, Low intensity, Lemon, Green Apple, Stone, Almond
• Taste: Off Dry (fancy wine talk for not really sweet but not totally dry), Medium intensity, No tannin, Light Body, Lime, Pear, Almond
• Notes: Low, Short finish, Acceptable quality, Ready to drink, Balanced

Next, and my favorite of the bunch, was an older Soave and also a Classico. This one was richer in flavor, and it went really well with a smorgasbord platter (olives, crackers, celery and hummus, roasted red peppers, salami, salad – basically all the random small things I had in the fridge to make a meal). Blend of Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave.  This gets 5 stars. Even at $19.99 from Harris Teeter, I will definitely buy it again.

• Wine: Soave Classico from Pieropan 2015
• Look: Clear, Pale, Lemon color
• Smell: Clean, Medium intensity, Lemon, Pear, Stone, Honey
• Taste: Dry, High Acid, No tannin, Light body, Lemon, Melon, Nutmeg, Almond
• Notes: High alcohol, Long finish, Good quality, Ready to drink, Balanced

One year older at 2014 was another Soave.  Not a Classico, but still carries the typical traits of good acid to go with food or not! Blend of Garganega and Trebbiano, this was a good wine for $12.99 from Total Wine. I’d give it 3 stars.

• Wine: Albino Armani Soave Incontro 2014
• Look: Brilliant, Pale, Lemon
• Smell: Clean, Medium intensity, Lemon, Peach, Slate
• Taste: Off dry, High acid, No tannin, Grapefruit, Nutmeg, Honey
• Notes: Medium alcohol, Medium finish, Acceptable quality, Ready to drink, Balanced

My last Soave test was a DOC (as were the others) and perfect for a hot day. Same high acid but also off dry making it food friendly, we had it with fish tacos made with a little spice from Sriracha.  This was Garganega and Chardonnay. 3 stars and $12.99 from Total Wine.

• Wine: Villa Cavarena Soave 2016
• Look: Clear, Pale, Lemon Green
• Smell: Clean, Low intensity, Lemon, Pear, Flower, Stone, Almond
• Taste: Off Dry, High acid, No tannin, Medium body, Green Apple, Pear, Almond
• Notes: Low alcohol, Short finish, Good quality, Ready to drink, Balanced