Garganega

An ancient vine which is nearly identical to Sicily’s Grecanico, Garganega is thought to be of early Greek origin, as the name suggests. It has been established in northeast Italy for centuries and is widely planted throughout the Veneto, where it is the primary white vine and the staple ingredient of Soave. Cultivated to lesser extent in Friuli, Lombardy and Umbria, it shows up almost nowhere else.

Garganega is a late-ripening and extremely vigorous vine, with medium sized, pentagonal leaves with pronounced notches. The loosely-knit clusters are long, cylindrical and winged, supporting spherical, thick skinned, juicy berries of moderate acidity, medium in size and pale white-green in color.

Responsible for oceans of bland, undistinguished wine, when sited in the best microclimates and cultivated to restrict yield it can produce an elegant, delicate wine reminiscent of greengage plums, citrus and almonds, with balance, structure and texture.

Garganega is also produced in a recioto version, during which the finest parts of the bunches are dried on mats until winter, and the resulting semi-raisins slowly fermented to yield a seductive, sweet dessert wine that can age for decades.