Garganega
Also known as Grecanico Dorato
Veneto, Italy
The Veneto's leading dry white grape, the base of Soave, giving almond, citrus and white-flower wines that are best from the volcanic hillsides.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Niche
Climate
Moderate climate
Ripening
Late season
Wine styles
Still, Dessert
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
Italy
Veneto (Soave)
The base of Soave, at its best from old vines on the volcanic hillsides of the Classico zone.
Background
Origin & History
Garganega has been grown for centuries in the hills of the eastern Veneto, and it is the main grape of Soave and of the neighbouring Gambellara zone. It is a vigorous, late-ripening vine that can produce a great deal of grapes, and that trait shaped its fortunes: on the flat, fertile plain around Soave it made large volumes of neutral wine, which cost the name its reputation in the late 20th century.
On the volcanic and limestone hillsides of the Classico zone, with old vines and low yields, the same grape gives wines with real depth, a saline, almond-tinged finish and an ability to age. Garganega is also dried on racks to make Recioto di Soave, a sweet wine, and DNA studies have shown that the Sicilian grape known as Grecanico Dorato is in fact the same variety.
Lineage
Family tree
Parentage not recorded — Garganega is an old variety of unknown origin.
No crossings involving Garganega are documented in the collection yet.