Nardello Vini
Nardello Vini
Monteforte d’Alpone is a town famous for several things including, at 79 metres, one of the highest bell towers in the region. However, more importantly for us, it is famous for the great white wine of the region, Soave. One of the great practitioners of the art of Soave is Daniele Nardello and it was in his headquarters in Via IV Novembre that we met his sister Federica.
The family have owned the property since 1608 and has been involved in agriculture and viticulture across the generations. Daniele has a degree in oenology from the University of Milan and worked in Australia before returning to the family winery whilst Federica, with a degree in economics, brings her professional skills to the business. Together, they make a formidable team. Today, they produce around 75,000 bottles from 14 hectares of vineyards all located in the area known as Soave Classico. This is the area where the best examples of this classic white wine are found due to the volcanic nature of the soil.
The first wine we tasted was a Soave Classico called Meridies. This is 100% Garganega but is a blend of two vineyards, one being the volcanic Monte Zoppega and the other the sandier Monte Tondo. After fermentation, it spends four to five months in steel on the lees before bottling. It has a bright straw colour and on the nose there is gooseberry. On the palate, it is clean and sharp. It should go very well with salmon.
Vigna Turbian is another Soave Classico but in this case, it is a blend of 70% Garganega and 30% Trebbiano, all from Monte Zoppega. The vines here are all around 40 to 50 years old. For this Vigna Turbian, the Trebbiano is harvested at the end of September but the Garganega is left until the middle of October when the grapes are more mature. The grapes are then fermented and matured separately. They are left on the lees until the following March when the wine is bottled. The result is a pale straw colour with a bouquet of green apples. On the palate, the young Trebbiano balanced with the mature Garganega makes a great well-structured wine with a good finish. Certainly, it would make a great pairing with shellfish.
The final Soave Classico is called Monte Zoppega after the site of the vineyard. It is 100% Garganega and, after fermentation, half the wine is matured in steel and the other half in French oak. The colour is straw with a hint of green and the bouquet is full of vanilla, peaches, and red apples. On the palate, it is filled with the salinity that you would expect with a wine made from grapes grown in strongly volcanic soil. Try this with a fish with a strong flavour like turbot.
The siblings also make a recioto which is a DOCG semi-sweet dessert wine that they call Suavissimus. This precious liquid comes from the oldest Garganega vines and the grapes are harvested between the second half of September and the end of October. They are then left on racks to naturally dry over a period of months, losing water and gaining sugar, before being pressed in March. It then ferments in barriques and remains on the lees until late December when it is bottled. The colour is a rich intense gold with a bouquet of honey and apricots. The flavour is soft, deep and full and would go very well with a cheese like gorgonzola.
A visit to the tasting room in the renovated 17th-century building will show the best of the old and new brought together in a harmonious whole which is an appropriate metaphor for the wines that they produce using modern techniques but with traditional values of pride and care in what you do.