What is Garganega?

What is Garganega wine?

Here’s a grape you’re unlikely to have heard of, but I bet you’ve tasted. It’s called Garganega, and it’s the principle grape of Soave. Native to the Veneto region, there are plantings all over northern Italy, and you will also find it under the name Grecanico Dorato in Sicily. Recently, Australian producers have taken to Garganega, but it’s still rare outside Italy.

Garganega, which is pronounced ‘gar-gan-neh-gah’, is a late-ripening and thick-skinned grape variety with high acidity. Despite stories about its Greek origin, Garganega is actually almost certainly native to northern Italy. Soave (pronounced ‘sway-veh’) has to be made with a minimum of 70 per cent Garganega. The rest can be made up of Trebbiano and Chardonnay grapes. There’s a lot of very ordinary Soave about, but at its best, it is a contender for Italy’s finest white wine. It’s the same variety as the Grecanico Dorato, which is popular in western Sicily, especially around Trapani and the capital, Palermo. The first planting outside Italy was in South Australia in the Barossa Valley in 2004. There’s also some Garganega in Victoria.

What does Garganega wine taste like?

Garganega should have an aroma of lemons and orange blossom, and a creamy taste reminiscent of almonds on the palate, always with a refreshing acidity. Richer examples might take on flavours of peaches and tropical fruit, with a more pronounced nuttiness. Oaky Soave is rare, but the best wines are often aged in old oak casks. Most Garganega wines are dry, but a tiny amount of very sweet Recioto di Soave is made from grapes dried on straw mats. Most Garganega should be drunk young, though the best wines from Soave can age up to about 10 years. Simpler wines should be served at around 8-10C.

What dishes go well with Garganega wine?

Like most Italian whites, it’s very food-friendly – great with risotto, pesto or seafood dishes, like spaghetti with clams.

Wine Club Star

Colle Marianna Soave 2020

Made by one of the most highly regarded producers in the region, Antonio Fattori, this is textbook Soave. It’s aged in old oak vats on its lees, which accentuates its almond-like creaminess. This would be good with rich seafood dishes, like langoustines, as well as a niçoise salad.

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Wine expert Henry Jeffreys, along with the BBC Good Food team, selects all of the wines on offer to BBC Good Food readers. Henry writes about wine for The Guardian and The Spectator, and on his blog, worldofbooze.wordpress.com. He’s also a judge in the Best Drinks Producer category for the BBC Food and Farming Awards. His book, The Home Bar (£25, Jacqui Small), is out now.