Gini Soave ‘Contrada Salvarenza’ Vecchie Vigne 2020

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

Salvarenza is a tiny sub-plot of the La Frosca Cru and home to the Gini’s centenarian vines, some of which are pre-phylloxera. The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented in small oak cask. Malolactic fermentation and aging takes place in oak, with the wine resting on its lees for 18 months before bottling.

Legend has it that the name “Salvarenza” relates to a young female named Renza who, threatened by bandits, was saved by a noble knight in the area where the variety for this great Cru is produced. The vineyards are over 100 years old and the wine suitable for prolonged ageing.

About Gini

The Gini family has roots in the Soave Classico region dating from the seventh century, and owns 25 hectares of vineyards situated on the very best hillside position of the appellation. Extremely low yields, low-interference viticulture, and devoted attention to expressing the unique character of each cru results in wines that are not only among the greatest Soaves but also among the great white wines of all Italy. Olinto Gini and sons Sandro and Claudio have now finally completed their beautiful new cellar, which extends deep into the rocky and tufaceous hillside of Monteforte d’Alpone, thus providing optimal natural temperature and humidity control.

It’s amazing to think that while most of the Soave Classico producers are only now starting to understand the importance of terroir and a more natural and transparent style of winemaking, the Gini family, under the guidance of Sandro Gini, started on the path over forty years ago. Today, the Gini winery utilizes fully organic and biodynamic practices, with ambient yeasts and a low level of intervention in the cellar. Their twenty-five hectares of hillside vineyards grow in volcanic soils, which vary greatly from location to location. The range includes the classic Cru La Frosca, as well as the Salvarenza, which hails from a small plot of eighty-year-old vines within the larger vineyard. Both wines can mature effortlessly over the course of a decade or more and are always amongst the top expressions of the region. However, the hidden treasure here is the “entry-level” Soave, all from estate vineyards within the Classico region. It represents an amazing value for its level of quality, as well as the ability to mature beautifully through medium-term cellaring. I was not able to taste any new vintages of the Valpolicella and Amarone during my recent visit, but will do so as soon as the wines are ready.

Eric Guido, Vinous

Both tradition and the modern are reflected at Gini. The hand-harvested Soave Classicos are 100% Garganega, though many in the zone blend in other varietals to compensate for shortcomings of less-than perfect grapes. The single-vineyard “La Frosca” are vinified in stainless steel. The rich, concentrated “Salvarenza”, from a tiny plot of 80-year-old vines within the La Frosca vineyard, is matured in barriques.

In the Vineyard

Vineyard Practices: Certified organic. Earth’s natural cycles are respected (for example vines are pruned according to the moon phases). No insecticides are used. Only manure is used as fertilizer. Spontaneous cover crops (grass cover) are left between the rows of vines, the grass cover is mowed and the turf is left in place (the soil is not tilled).

In the Winery

For the Salvarenza:

The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented in small oak cask. Malolactic fermentation and aging takes place in oak, with the wine resting on its lees for 18 months before bottling.

Serving temperature: 10/12° Celsius
Food matches: flavourful pasta and rice dishes, fish, white meat and poultry dishes, cheese.

Where in the World is Gini?

Is located in Soave in the region of Veneto in the north-east of Italy. Soave lies just to the west of Verona.