Soave: How a wine re-invents itself for US consumers

"In Italian, soave means kind, smooth, appealing.

“Soave is like the color blue for clothes: a classic. You can pair it with almost everything.” An old winemaker told me this years ago, and I never forgot it. However, in spite of this belief, Soave wine was out of fashion for many years in America. In its place, consumers preferred Pinot Grigio. From the 1960s on, Pinot Grigio was considered synonymous with “Italian white wine.” Easy to pronounce, easy to remember, easy to drink. But pinot grigio is not a true native Italian white grape. Its origins are French. And now, even if Pinot Grigio still leads the pack, our old friend Soave is making a comeback".

Palate Press, July 4th, 2011