So Soave, beyond compare. It all begins with a historical journey, especially an editorial one, offered by the Soave Consortium in the Biblioteca Capitolare in Verona. What does a Library Museum next to Verona’s cathedral have to do with Soave DOC wine? It certainly does. Because it is the gateway through which one enters and exits with an awareness of history to understand a Denomination: much more than a journey through culture and flavors. The Biblioteca Capitolare, the first act of Appuntamento Soave 2025, invites us to understand how and where words meet wine.
Between the past and new horizons
The Soave Consortium has chosen the Biblioteca Capitolare in Verona as a symbolic starting point for its narrative of the Denomination. Here, among 100,000 ancient and modern volumes, is preserved the famous “Veronese Riddle,” the first written testimony of the Italian vernacular. This connection is no coincidence: just as words have shaped our culture, Soave has helped define the Italian winemaking identity.
The Capitulary thus becomes an ideal bridge between past and future, between history and tasting, reminding us that wine, too, is a language to be interpreted.
Before tasting the past, present, and future of Soave, a review of the origins of words helps us find the right ones to describe this wine and its nuances. This exercise, encouraged by the Consortium, is useful for understanding the present of the Denomination and the prospects opening up in a changing international landscape, amidst climate change, new lifestyles, shifting markets, and a wine culture that remains a cornerstone of Italian identity.
Soave Appointment 2025: The Beating Heart of the DOC
On September 8th and 9th, Verona and the Soave hills hosted a particularly significant edition of Soave Appointment 2025. During the grape harvest and in the run-up to the traditional festivals dedicated to the Veronese white wine (the next event: the Grape Festival, on September 18th in Soave), the Consortium concentrated two days of training, masterclasses, tastings, talk shows, and reflections on a denomination currently experiencing a crucial phase.
From the Cathedral and the Capitolare Library, a symbolic place of words and memory, the event moved to the Officers’ Club for the large tasting table with over 40 wineries offering tastings and a discussion with Monsignor Bruno Fasani, president of the Foundation that preserves the Capitolare’s heritage, an authoritative and empathetic voice.
Between the lines of Verona’s history and the Italian word, written on parchment and then printed, verba manent, the Library also passes on to us the memory left by Dante Alighieri who, a year before his death, presented, here, next to the Cathedral, his “Questio de Aqua et Terra,” an invitation to reflect on the relationship between nature and man: a reminder as timely as ever, as the world of wine faces decisive environmental challenges.
Soave DOC: Numbers, Identity, and Prospects
The Soave Consortium brings together 90 wineries, from small producers to large cooperatives, for a total of approximately 30 million bottles. More important than numbers, however, is the awareness of a white wine capable of surprising with its evolution and elegance, confirming its central role in Verona and its hills, a FAO World Agricultural Heritage Site.
“Soave Appointment has achieved its goal of gathering valuable content,” explained Cristian Ridolfi, president of the Consortium, “at a time when market trends favor fresh, savory, and moderately alcoholic white wines.”
“Wine is, above all, the pleasure of conviviality and the joy of being together, and appellations must once again play a central role in the narrative and offering of Italian wine.”
Young and old vintages compared: the elegance of evolution at Appuntamento Soave 2025
The masterclass led by Jeff Porter, American sommelier and journalist, brought together the past and present of Soave. Among the wines that captivated us were the Pieropan Calvarino Soave Classico 2023 and 2015, floral and gastronomic in its young version, complex and satisfying in its more mature expression. The Roccolo Grassi Broia Soave 2023 and 2016 revealed the strength of the limestone terroir, while the Inama Foscarino Soave Classico 2022 in magnum and the 2016 demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to adapt to climate change. The Gini La Frascà Soave Classico 2021 and 2014 confirmed the continuity and finesse that distinguish Garganega.
Porter emphasized how Soave was a gateway to the world of wine for him:
“It’s historic and modern at the same time, a wine that doesn’t require waiting but rewards those who know how to look after it. Forget it in the cellar for 10 years and it will surprise you.”
The Strength of the Earth: Geology and Vineyard Culture
Alongside the tastings, a geological journey with geologist and professor Federico Righetto explored the volcanic and sedimentary origins of the soils. Six eruptive episodes, basaltic flows, and stratified limestone define a landscape that unites the Lessini Mountains, the Tramigna Valley, and the Illasi Valley. Mount Calvarina and its volcanoes, the old Via Postumia, and the Wool Road are living memories that interact with the dry-stone walls and rows of vines.
Understanding the colors of the rocks means understanding the nuances of the Garganega grape and its harvest times: a millennia-old culture found in the glass, between identity and innovation.
The talk show “Soave: Authentic, Native, Contemporary”
Noteworthy insights emerged during the roundtable discussion moderated by Luciano Ferraro, deputy editor of Corriere della Sera, which, starting with wine, addressed current issues, from the international economic and political situation to new consumer paradigms among younger generations.
Michele Cannone, Lavazza global brand director away from home, highlighted how experiences drive the evolution of categories, recalling the transformation of coffee over 50 years and the need for wine to rethink its consumption models and contexts.
Achille Scudieri, vice president of the Adler Group, shared his experience with Abraxas in Pantelleria: an economic and cultural investment that interprets wine as a strategic asset for enhancing territories and communities.
Barbara Ferro, CEO of Veronafiere, emphasized the role of trade fairs in guiding sectors through market changes, from sustainability to artificial intelligence, offering new ways to promote and engage young people.
Jeff Porter emphasized that Soave can establish itself as a great international white wine, combining freshness, authenticity, and a strong cultural narrative.
Monsignor Bruno Fasani offered a reflection on the spiritual and social value of wine as a metaphor for the vineyard and the community, inviting a rethinking of the meaning of cooperative wineries.
Cristian Ridolfi concluded the discussion by recalling that today, producing wine is a political act, subject to global dynamics, and that entrepreneurs must transform challenges into opportunities, offering wines capable of responding to new lifestyles and shifting demand.
The leading wineries at Appuntamento Soave 2025
Representing the appellation were 40 wineries, representing a mosaic of production ranging from historic brands to small winemakers: Balestri Valda, Bolla, Pieropan, Suavia, Gini, Inama, Roccolo Grassi, Dal Cero, Tenuta Sant’Antonio, Villa Canestrari, and many others.
This lineup reflected the versatility of Soave and its ability to appeal to European, British, and American markets, with a new entrepreneurial drive to conquer broader international markets.
Tradition and Future: An Invitation to Discovery
Appuntamento Soave 2025 was not just a tasting but a cultural experience that intertwined ancient knowledge and new perspectives. Like a black-and-white film illuminated by color, Soave demonstrates that history is its strength and elegance its future.
From the FAO Heritage hills to the city of Verona, passing through the pages of the Biblioteca Capitolare, the journey through words and wine becomes an invitation: to discover, taste, preserve, and tell. A long story.
