Col Foscarin Recioto di Soave Classico D.O.C.G.

Gini

Col Foscarin Recioto di Soave Classico D.O.C.G.

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$51.00 $136.00/L

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The Product in Brief:

✓ Vintage 2021 – Recioto di Soave Classico D.O.C.G.

✓ 100% Garganega

✓ Vineyard Col Foscarin of about 2 hectares, at 200 m above sea level

✓ Vineyards managed under certified organic farming

✓ Soils of basaltic tuff of ancient volcanic origin

✓ Selection of the best bunches and slow natural appassimento in the drying loft

✓ Fermentation in barriques, very slow because of the high sugar density; after a long period the wine is blended and bottled, where it ages for several months.

✓ Rich and enveloping, with candied citrus, apricot, peach and great persistence

✓ Alcohol content: 13% vol.

Scheda Produttore PDF

A golden nectar. Col Foscarin Recioto di Soave Classico 2021 is born in Monteforte d’Alpone from Garganega grapes alone and interprets one of the oldest winemaking traditions of the Verona area: the drying of the grapes. Gini starts from a single vineyard and a careful selection of the finest bunches to create a rich, intense Recioto in which the sweetness finds its balance in the freshness and in the natural mineral imprint of the terroir. The grapes are grown in the Col Foscarin vineyard, about two hectares lying at 200 metres of altitude with a southern exposure. Here the Garganega sinks its roots into soils of basaltic tuff of ancient volcanic origin, a geological matrix deeply bound to the identity of the wines of Monteforte d’Alpone. The vines are tended according to the principles of certified organic farming.

At the end of the harvest, only in the best vintages, the bunches most suited to drying are selected in the vineyard, picked into small wooden crates and moved to the drying loft, where they rest for about five to six months under natural ventilation. The slow drying gradually concentrates sugars, aromas and structure; before pressing, the grapes are sorted once more with care. The must obtained is placed in 228-litre barriques, where a very slow fermentation begins, carried out without any addition of sulphites. The high sugar concentration naturally halts fermentation at around 13 degrees of alcohol, leaving the wine its characteristic sweetness. After a long maturation the wine is blended and bottled, refining for a few more months.

The result is a sumptuous yet harmonious Recioto, in which the concentration of the dried Garganega meets ripe citrus, apricot, peach and deeper shades. The sweetness is enveloping, sustained by freshness and length, in a balance that invites slow tasting.

Product Sheet:

Appellation: Recioto di Soave Classico DOCG.

Vintage: 2021.

Grape variety: Garganega 100%.

Production area: Col Foscarin – Monteforte d’Alpone, Soave Classico, Veneto.

Vineyard: Col Foscarin vineyard of about 2 hectares, with a southern exposure.

Altitude: About 200 m above sea level.

Age of the vines: 80 years

Soils: Basaltic tuff of ancient volcanic origin.

Farming: Vineyards under certified organic cultivation.

Drying: Careful selection of the finest bunches and slow natural drying in the loft for several months, followed by a gentle pressing of the grapes.

Tasting notes: Deep golden yellow, bright and luminous. On the nose it is intense and elegant, with notes of ripe citrus, candied orange peel and apricot jam, accompanied by shades of yellow fruit, honey and dried fruit. On the palate it is rich, warm and enveloping, with hints of candied orange and peach. The sweetness is harmonious and sustained by a pleasant freshness that carries a refined finish of great length.

Alcohol content: 13% vol.

Vinification: A wine made only in the best vintages. The grapes are picked into small wooden crates after a careful selection in the vineyard of the bunches most suited to drying. The crates are placed in the drying loft (natural ventilation). After about five to six months the grapes are pressed following a further sorting. Vinification without any addition of sulphites.

Ageing: The must obtained is placed in 228 L barriques; fermentation is very slow because of the high sugar density, which brings the process to a halt at around 13 degrees of alcohol. After a long period the wine is blended and bottled, where it refines for a few more months.

Available formats: 0,375 l and 0,75 l.

Serving temperature: 12°C.

Food pairings: Blue-veined and mature cheeses, dry pastries and desserts. Its richness and length also make it a fascinating wine to end a meal and to sip on its own.

Production philosophy: Col Foscarin interprets Recioto di Soave through the tradition of grape drying and the identity of a single volcanic vineyard in Monteforte d’Alpone. Garganega, certified organic farming, selection of the bunches, slow natural dehydration and time give a sweet wine of richness, freshness and balance.

From the volcanic soils of Soave to the limestone hills of the Berici, a journey between Verona and Vicenza to discover two territories that reveal different yet complementary expressions of Veneto wine.

East of Verona, Soave stretches across the hills that rise from the plain towards the Lessini Mountains. Further east, in the province of Vicenza, the Colli Berici emerge as a distinctive hilly landscape with a strong geological and natural identity. Two different territories, united by an ancient winemaking history and a relationship with the land that still shapes the character of their wines today. Here, the vine is not simply a crop. It is part of the landscape, the history of local families and the identity of the villages. Vine rows, dry-stone walls, rural courtyards, villas, castles and small villages tell the story of an agricultural civilisation built over centuries, in which wine has become one of the most authentic ways of interpreting the territory.

Soave: the land of volcanoes and Garganega

Soave is one of Italy's historic wine regions. Its heart lies in the eastern hills of the province of Verona, around the towns of Soave and Monteforte d'Alpone, where vineyards cover slopes and ridges shaped by an extraordinarily complex geological history. The medieval village of Soave, dominated by its castle and still enclosed within its ancient walls, is the best-known image of this territory. But to truly understand its wines, you need to climb into the hills, following roads that wind through vineyards, contrade and small rural settlements as far as Monteforte d'Alpone.

It is here that one of Soave's most fascinating features emerges: its volcanic origin. Millions of years ago, this part of Veneto was shaped by intense volcanic activity. Basalt, lava rock and tuff still emerge today across many of the eastern hills of the appellation, alternating with areas of limestone. This geological diversity is reflected directly in the wines, creating different expressions even within a short distance of one another.

On these soils, Garganega has found its natural habitat over the centuries. An ancient grape variety deeply rooted in the Veronese territory, Garganega has a remarkable ability to interpret the place where it grows. In the finest hillside vineyards of Soave, it combines ripe fruit, freshness, tension and a savoury, mineral character that becomes increasingly evident with time. Alongside Garganega grows Trebbiano di Soave, a historic presence capable of adding freshness and precision to the wines.

Soave Classico identifies the historic heart of the appellation, on the hills of Soave and Monteforte d'Alpone. It is a landscape shaped over time, where vineyards often grow on steep slopes and human cultivation has followed the natural contours of the hills rather than altering them. Here, altitude, exposure, ventilation and soil composition change from one contrada to another. It is precisely this fragmentation that makes Soave such a remarkably diverse territory: not a single wine, but many interpretations of Garganega and the Veronese hills.

In younger wines, freshness, flowers, fruit and immediacy prevail. In Soave from the finest vineyards and allowed to evolve, time reveals a deeper dimension: notes of herbs, ripe citrus, yellow fruit, stone and mineral nuances come together in wines capable of developing complexity even after several years. Perhaps time itself is one of the best ways to understand great Soave: wines that may appear delicate in their youth can reveal surprising depth and longevity as they evolve.

Colli Berici: stone, sunshine and great red wines

Leaving the Verona area and moving towards Vicenza, the landscape changes. The Colli Berici rise from the Vicenza plain like an island of hills. Their contours are gentler, the climate is generally warmer, and Mediterranean vegetation grows alongside woods, olive groves and vineyards. Venetian villas, small villages and ancient rural courtyards bear witness to a history in which agriculture and culture have shaped the landscape together.

Here too, geology plays a fundamental role in defining the identity of the wines. The Colli Berici are predominantly limestone and sedimentary in origin, formed from ancient seabeds, with traces of volcanic activity in certain areas. Limestone rock, clay and stony soils create particularly favourable conditions for vines, while the exposure of the hills and relatively mild climate allow the grapes to ripen fully and evenly.

If Soave finds its most distinctive voice in Garganega, the Colli Berici show a particular vocation for red wines. The symbolic grape variety is Tai Rosso, historically rooted especially in the area around Barbarano and the southern Berici. It is capable of producing fragrant, spicy and highly drinkable wines, where red fruit is often accompanied by Mediterranean herbs and a delicately savoury character.

Alongside Tai Rosso, the Colli Berici have shown a particular affinity over time with varieties such as Carmenère, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The climate, exposures and limestone-clay soils allow these grapes to achieve full ripeness while maintaining balance, producing wines capable of combining structure, elegance and longevity. Carmenère, long mistaken for Cabernet Franc in local vineyards, has also found one of its most interesting Italian expressions in the Colli Berici.

Two territories, two ways of expressing Veneto

Soave and the Colli Berici are separated by just a few kilometres of plain, yet they reveal two profoundly different expressions of Veneto viticulture. In Soave, Garganega, ancient volcanic soils, altitude and the tension of great white wines dominate. In the Colli Berici, the landscape becomes warmer and more Mediterranean, limestone plays a central role, and it is above all the red wines that find depth and character.

On one side are the hills of Monteforte d'Alpone and Soave, with their contrade and vineyards rooted in ancient volcanic rock. On the other are the hills of Vicenza, where limestone, clay, woods and vineyards overlook the surrounding plain. What unites them is an ancient agricultural culture, built on families, vineyards handed down through generations, observation of the seasons and an intimate knowledge of individual plots.

Today, these territories are experiencing a new chapter. More and more producers are bringing vineyards, biodiversity, soil identity and the distinctive character of individual areas back to the centre of their work, seeking not only quality in their wines but an increasingly precise relationship with the place they come from. Because the deepest value of these territories lies not simply in their ability to produce great wines. It lies in the possibility of recognising, in a glass, the very hill from which that wine comes.

The basalt and Garganega of Soave. The limestone, sunshine and red wines of the Colli Berici. Two landscapes, two identities, two different ways of expressing through wine the extraordinary diversity of Veneto.

There are wineries that have helped write the history of Italian wine, and others that have been living that history for centuries. Ginibelongs to this second category. In Monteforte d'Alpone, in the heart of Soave Classico, the family has been cultivating vines since at least 1570, spanning fifteen generations without ever breaking their bond with the land. A journey of over four centuries that not only tells the story of a continuous surname but also the extraordinary ability to preserve a heritage made of vineyards, knowledge, and sensibility, handed down from father to son to the present day. The symbolic date chosen by the family is January 22, 1570, the wedding day of Giobatta, son of Antonio Gini. From that moment, one of the oldest winemaking stories in Veneto began to take shape. Over the centuries, the family has experienced wars, social changes, and evolutions in viticulture, remaining faithful to their territory and a deep conviction: wine cannot be built, but only accompanied with respect, experience, and patience. This philosophy finds its maximum expression in the concept that has always guided the Gini family's work: time. The time needed for a vine to slowly sink its roots into the volcanic rock, the time of the seasons that mark the life of the vineyard, the time of waiting during aging, and the time of evolution in the bottle.

For Gini, time is not simply a measure, but the first ingredient of every great wine. It is on the hills of Monteforte d'Alponethat the historical soul of the company was born. In the heart of Soave Classico, the ancient Garganega vines sink their roots into volcanic soils, rich in basalt, tuff, and limestone veins formed millions of years ago. From this extraordinary geological heritage, great white wines for aging are born, capable of evolving slowly while maintaining acidity, freshness, and a distinct mineral imprint. The longevity of the vines, the complexity of the soils, and the variety of microclimates define the vocation of a unique terroir, capable of producing Soave of depth, elegance, and surprising evolutionary capacity. Among the most precious assets preserved by the family are the old Garganega vines, some over a century old, many still pre-phylloxera and ungrafted. In an era when renewing vineyards was the simplest choice, Gini decided not to uproot its historic vines, preserving a genetic and clonal richness that is practically unique in the Soave landscape. The roots penetrate deeply into the volcanic rock, reaching water and mineral salts even in the most difficult vintages. It is precisely this radical depth that contributes to the sapidity, complexity, and longevity that distinguish the family's wines.

For Gini, nature has never been something to dominate, but a reality to observe and listen to. The company manages its vineyards according to the principles of certified organic farming, respecting the natural rhythms of the plant and even paying attention to lunar phases. Green manure, grassing, protection of woods and trees surrounding the vineyards, preservation of soil fertility, and safeguarding biodiversity are practices adopted long before they became central themes in contemporary viticulture. In the Contrada Salvarenzacru, ecosystem studies have identified over two hundred insect species, testifying to the vitality of a healthy and harmonious agricultural environment. In the 1980s, brothers Sandro and Claudio Ginibrought a new turning point to the company's history. Sandro delved into the world of indigenous yeasts, discovering extraordinary microbiological biodiversity in the cellar and eventually eliminating sulfur dioxide during grape vinification to preserve its purity. This pioneering choice anticipated many of the themes that would mark enology in the following decades. Claudio, on the other hand, consolidated an agronomic vision linked to organic and biodynamic viticulture, strengthening the relationship between natural balance, grape quality, and wine identity.

The pursuit of the highest expression of Soave Classico led the family to enhance two vineyards that would become authentic benchmarks of the appellation: La Froscà, established in 1985, and Contrada Salvarenza, introduced in 1989. Each cru tells a different personality, shaped by the geology, exposure, altitude, and microclimates of Monteforte d'Alpone. The grapes are interpreted without forcing, allowing the harvest and the vineyard to guide decisions in the cellar. This is how Soave Classico wines are born that do not chase immediacy, but find their best ally in time, growing in minerality, depth, and complexity. The search for authenticity did not stop at the hills of Soave Classico. Among the reliefs of eastern Alta Valpolicella, the Gini family created one of its most ambitious projects: Tenuta Scajari. Among the hills of Campiano, in the municipality of Cazzano di Tramigna, at altitudes between 400 and 600 meters, a landscape of rare beauty unfolds, where woods, cherry trees, olive groves, and vineyards coexist in a still-intact natural balance.

The name Scajariderives from the dialect word scaja, used to indicate the small yellowish-reddish limestone flakes originating from the slow disintegration of the stratified rock of the subsoil. Tenuta Scajari represents the desire to establish an even deeper connection with nature: a small earthly paradise where constant ventilation, excellent sun exposure, significant temperature excursions, and the richness of calcareous, stony, and clayey soils, enriched with volcanic components, allow for the production of dynamic, elegant wines with intense mineral complexity. Since 1987, an important environmental recovery project has restored the ancient beauty of the Campiano lands, preserving the natural characteristics of the landscape and the vitality of the ecosystem. This work gives rise to the High Altitude Pearls: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon cultivated in high-altitude vineyards, where the cool climate and temperature excursions favor slow maturation, aromatic precision, and surprising evolutionary capacity. These are wines that reveal a lesser-known side of Veronese viticulture, where altitude becomes an extraordinary ally of elegance and longevity.

In eastern Alta Valpolicella, the great red wines of Tenuta Scajari also take shape. Constant ventilation keeps the grapes healthy and accompanies a natural drying process in the fruit cellar, without forcing. This results in Amarone della Valpolicellaand Valpolicella Superiorewines capable of combining structure, freshness, aromatic intensity, and mineral depth, interpreting the territory with a measured style far from excesses. The same culture of waiting accompanies the elegant Metodo Classicoand the precious Gocce Nobili. In sparkling wines, patience and daily care transform time on the lees into finesse and harmony; in Recioto, the drying process concentrates aromas and sweetness, giving life to an enveloping wine capable of narrating the value of rare things. From Ancestral Method Reciototo great aging white wines, time continues to be the invisible thread that unites every expression of the winery.

For fifteen generations, the Gini family has demonstrated that time is the most precious interpreter of wine. From the historic vineyards of Soave Classico to the pristine landscapes of Tenuta Scajari, every bottle is born from the encounter between nature, experience, and a patience that only great winemaking families know how to preserve. From Soave Classicoto eastern Alta Valpolicella, Gini continues to interpret wine with the same philosophy that has accompanied the family since 1570. The great Soave wines, the historic crus Contrada Salvarenzaand La Froscà, the Amarone and Valpolicella wines of Tenuta Scajari, the High Altitude Pearls, the Metodo Classico, and the precious Reciototell a unique story of territory, biodiversity, and time. It is this extraordinary consistency, preserved through fifteen generations, that makes Gini one of the most authentic and authoritative expressions of Italian viticulture.