Bright aromas of flowers, angelica and apricots with an undertone of sulphur smoke. Silky attack, light to medium body and graceful, refreshing acidity. Drink now.
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The walled city of Soave in the Veneto region is the source (and namesake) of one of the great classic Italian white wines. The town dates from Roman times, and so does the winemaking tradition. The Romans were big fans of minerally, floral wines like those of Soave. The Garganega grapes, that for many centuries have produced Soave wines, come mainly from vineyards in the hills that rise behind the town and march northwestward toward the eastern Valpolicella. This area is now known as Soave Classico and is still the source of the best wines of the denomination due to the hills’ volcanic soils.
Leaving Soave through the Porta Aquila—the north gate of the city’s 14th-century walls—a walk of a mile and a quarter (including a climb of about 500 feet) leads to the top of Mount Foscarino, a dormant volcano now covered with grapevines. In the 1960s, Giuseppe Inama began buying up small vineyard plots on this peak in the heart of the Soave Classico zone, and as a result, the Inama winery today owns most of the vineyards on Mount Foscarino. Giuseppe Inama saw the great potential of these old, traditional vineyards at a time when others were more intent on producing larger quantities in the plains for inexpensive exports. His son Stefano, who took over the winemaking duties in 1992, has continued to work tirelessly to realize the potential of these vineyards, working with some of the very best vineyard management consultants in the world to get Inama’s vineyards into the best possible shape.
Near the top of the hill is a large wooden platform with a 270-degree panoramic view to the south and east. To the right at a distance, it is easy to spot the crenellated walls and towers of Soave Castle as it keeps watch over the town. In the foreground are Inama’s tidy vigneti di Foscarino (Foscarino vineyards). And to the left, over the vineyards and across a broad valley, are a set of hills that are the home of Inama’s other project. These hills—the Colli Berici—are composed of iron-rich terra rossa, a soil type that is prized worldwide as being ideal for growing red winegrapes, and indeed this is where Inama gets its red wines.
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LOCATIONWINERY: San Bonifacio, Veneto VINEYARD: Soave (Verona province) and Colli Berici (Vicenza province), Veneto VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS REGION DETAILS |
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92
DECEMBER 2025
Inama “Vin Soave” Soave DOC Classico 2024
![]() Bright aromas of flowers, angelica and apricots with an undertone of sulphur smoke. Silky attack, light to medium body and graceful, refreshing acidity. Drink now. 94
AUGUST 2025
Inama "I Palchi" Foscarino Soave Classico DOC 2022
![]() This is the top-end Garganega from the talented Inama family. It included the words "Grande Cuvée" in its name until the previous vintage made. The 2022 Soave Classico Foscarino I Palchi is a beautiful wine with a tight vein of crispness and lemony tartness that follows the wine from start to finish, giving it firmness and lasting staying power. There is ample textural fiber at the back, more than enough to make this wine feel important and multidimensional. This 17-hectare vineyard sits in basalt lava soils. The wine is partially fermented in oak (with 30% neutral and new barrique and 50% botte grande) and 20% in stainless steel. 92
AUGUST 2025
Inama "Carbonare" Soave DOC Classico 2022
![]() The Inama 2022 Soave Classico Carbonare delivers mid-weight texture with soft tones of peach and other sweet stone fruits presented with attractive layering. The wine also offers fleeting moments of oats and honey from the ripe grape skins that add more depth and complexity overall. It fermented and aged in stainless steel for one year. This is a solid value buy. 92
JANUARY 2025
Inama “Bradisismo” Colli Berici Cabernet DOC 2020
![]() Their plump 2020 Bradisismo, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) and Carmenère, delivers delectable spiciness, presumably from the Carmenère, that offsets the ripe black fruit qualities of Cabernet. Fine tannins support the plush texture without interfering. Not overwrought, this bright and bold red would be perfect with a steak this winter. 97
NOVEMBER 2025
Inama “Foscarino” Soave DOC Classico 2022
![]() Cellar Selections: The Best Age-Worthy Wines of 2025 # 12. Foscarino as a modern-day muse. An inspiring wine that can lead to greater ideas. This profound wine opens with aromas of quince, roasted Fuji, preserved kumquats and an entire meadow full of flowers that encompasses all senses. Rich on the palate, yet stately the wine threads the needle as flavors of orange flower water, white peach, mint and honey flow into a sea of crushed shells and green almonds giving a salty, savory finish that languishes. Drink Now - 2040 93
AUGUST 2025
Inama “Bradisismo” Colli Berici Cabernet DOC 2022
![]() A blend of 71% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 20% Carménère, the Inama 2021 Colli Berici Cabernet Bradisismo is a robust and full-bodied red with ripe sweetness and lots of rich, almost syrupy, concentration. The wine is redolent of blackcurrant and sweet spice. The effect is softly layered and balanced with sweet fruit and evident oak tannins. It ages in 40% new oak and 60% second-use barrique. 92
JANUARY 2026
Inama “Carmenère Più” Veneto Rosso IGT 2023
![]() The 2023 Veneto Rosso Carmenere Più mixes crushed rocks, savory herbs, black currant and spice. It is cool-toned and fresh with juicy acidity and crisp wildberry fruits that take on a peppery edginess toward the close. This finishes gently tannic with an air of violet inner florals as a chewy blackberry concentration fades. A total pleasure to taste. 95
AUGUST 2025
Inama "I Palchi" Foscarino Soave Classico DOC 2016
![]() Here's a special back vintage from Inama that is on the market now. The 2016 Soave Classico Vintage Collection is a beautiful wine with depth and complexity that flaunts the potential of Garganega, one of Italy's most important white wine grapes. This carries a medium-plus mouthfeel that is rich in glycerin and soft in texture. The bouquet shows stone fruit flavors with hints of flint and hydrocarbons. A hand selection of the best grapes is made from across 20 hectares of vines on basalt volcanic soils. The wine is partially fermented and aged in barrique before going into horizontal steel casks for five years to keep it free from oxygen and slow down its evolution. |
