Campaign highlights the strengths of Soave

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 12 August, 2019

Soave is making a comeback thanks to a new Summer of Soave campaign.

The campaign was launched in May by the Swirl Wine Group on behalf of Soave’s governing body, the Consortia Tutela Vini Soave e Recioto di Soave.

Some twenty producers and 16 distributors are participating in the campaign, which aims to tap into consumers’ taste for fresh white wines from Italy.

The campaign has targeted both the ontrade, with listings at London’s Langham Hotel, L’Ortolan and the Ivy Collection, and the offtrade. Soctland’s Lutvian Bottle Shop, Salut Wines in Manchester and the Oxford Wine Company are among those who have been running promotions.

Archie McDiarmid, manager of Luvians, said: “The Summer of Soave was a superb boost not only to our Soave sales – which more than doubled vs June 2018 – but also to our staff knowledge and customer engagement with this fabulous region.

“Our comparative masterclass, showing five different Soave blind against other dry, mineral whites from around the world, was a huge success, driving orders and demonstrating the array of styles being made in Soave both to customers and staff.’

Sarah Abbott MW, founder of Swirl, said: “We are delighted that UK distributors of Soave are proactively engaging their customers in this campaign. It’s more than about just driving sales, it’s about offering a clear ladder to the consumer to showcase that Soave can offer a range of wines from fresh, easy-drinking whites to more intense, minerally styles that can be world -class wines.”

In June, Italy’s ministry of agriculture officially recognised the cru status of 33 vineyards in Soave, after an 18-year project from the Consortia.

Nearly 40% of Soave’s vineyards by acreage now have cru status, all on hillside terroirs.

The majority of these vineyards – 29 of them – are in the classico zone. The others are either in the dark volcanic soils of the eastern Val d’Alpone or the calcareous soils of the western valleys.

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