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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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WINERY LOCATION: San Bonifacio, Veneto
REGION: Soave DOC, Colli Berici DOC, IGT Veneto
VINEYARD LAND: 134 acres (54 ha)
FARMING PRACTICES: Organic
GRAPE VARIETIES: Garganega and Carmenère; smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc
WINE STYLES: Dry white; dry red
TOTAL WINE PRODUCTION: 450,000 bottles (335,000 liters)
YEAR FOUNDED: 1967
OWNER(S): Stefano Inama
WINEMAKER(S): Stefano & Matteo Inama

WINES

INAMA “VIN SOAVE” SOAVE DOC CLASSICO

Vin Soave is the main production for the estate, an entry-level wine that nevertheless comes from vineyards farmed the same way as for Inama’s reserve wines—“a little luxury for everyday.” The wine is made from 100% Garganega in stainless-steel tanks to stress the importance of freshness and Garganega’s floral notes. Along with the enhanced minerality from the vineyards’ volcanic soil, the result is a wine with great versatility in combination with food.

INAMA “FOSCARINO” SOAVE DOC CLASSICO

Foscarino Soave Classico is a wine that demonstrates the real potential of the Garganega grape. Inama uses a selection of some of its oldest vines, from vineyards (vigneti) on volcanic Mount Foscarino in the Soave Classico area. The vineyards face east, catching the morning sun but avoiding the afternoon heat, which helps to maintain the beautiful floral notes and the minerality but with a deeper and more complex texture. 

INAMA "CARBONARE" SOAVE DOC CLASSICO

"Carbonare" is a wonderful vineyard of old pergolas that greets the morning sun, overlooking a steep sided valley.  Located halfway up the hillside with exposure to the East, the vineyard has a noticeably different microclimate compared to Foscarino. The fresh air comes down from the Val d’Alpone and its Piccole Dolomiti. The natural balance of the plants and the adjacent streams indicates that water flows underneath, a precious resource for producing a great white wine. The basalt, which characterizes the ground in most of the Soave Classico area, has great chromatic complexity here, fading from black to green, red and orange.  The strong character of the vineyard is evident in the grapes: joyful aromas of citrus, effervescent acidity, mineral freshness.

INAMA "I PALCHI" FOSCARINO GRANDE CUVÉE SOAVE DOC

I Palchi was born from the collective desire of the 3rd generation of the winery to pursue their ambitious goals in expressing the potential of their family's work and land.  I Palchi is a new wine for the estate that redefines the characteristics of Soave Classico.  Only the finest micro parcels of old vine Garganega planted in terraces across the slopes of Monte Foscarino, an inactive volcano, are selected for this new wine.  The resulting wine is one that encapsulates the best of this ancient volcano and territory - refined and elegant with the persistent minerality and complexity that only wines from volcanic soils can exhibit.

INAMA “CARMENÈRE PIÙ” VENETO ROSSO IGT

Inama has launched a major exploration into the possibilities for Carmenère in Italy, and Carmenère Più is the main product of this effort. Carmenère is a pre-phylloxera staple of Bordeaux wines that was brought to the Colli Berici area of Veneto at least a century and a half ago. Yet when this wine was first made, Carmenere was not an approved grape variety for labeling purposes in this area and was considered a type of Cabernet. Nevertheless, this wine demonstrates that Carmenere can be a lovely addition to Veneto’s more common red varieties, producing wines with beautiful concentration and freshness. A portion of old-vines Merlot is blended with the Carmenère to add a bit of softness and roundness.

INAMA “BRADISISMO” COLLI BERICI CABERNET DOC

Bradisismo was the first red wine produced by Soave-based Inama, in 1997. It combines Cabernet Sauvignon with a former Bordeaux grape variety, Carmenere, that has been grown in the Colli Berici area for around 150 years. This is now in effect Inama’s reserve wine, elegant with a touch of spiciness. The wine’s name is Italian for bradyseism, a geological term for uplifting of the Earth’s crust by deep lakes of magma—the process that formed the Colli Berici.

INAMA “ORATORIO DI SAN LORENZO” COLLI BERICI DOC CARMENÈRE RISERVA

Oratorio di San Lorenzo is Inama’s top-tier red wine, showcasing the estate’s efforts to bring the Carmenere grape variety back to prominence in the Colli Berici area of Veneto. The wine is pure Carmenere, made from a selection of the best grapes in the best vintages only. To date, Oratorio di San Lorenzo is the only Carmenere Riserva made in Colli Berici DOC. Its name honors a Benedictine monastery (oratorio) nearby dedicated to Saint Lawrence.

LOCATION


WINERY:
San Bonifacio, Veneto

VINEYARD:
Soave (Verona province) and Colli Berici (Vicenza province), Veneto

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NEWS AND REVIEWS FROM OUR FRIENDS IN THE INDUSTRY



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93
MARCH 2023
Inama "Carbonare" Soave DOC Classico 2020

The 2020 Soave Classico Carbonare is savory and finessed, with hints of sage and rosemary giving way to dusty dried florals. This is silky and round on the palate, complicated by saline minerals and tart orchard fruits, all kept in constant motion by stimulating acidity. Young peach and pear notes linger through the tension-filled finale as this finishes with a salty flourish that keeps the taster looking back to the glass for more.

96
JULY 2021
Inama “Foscarino” Soave DOC Classico 2019

The nose is quite reserved, showing some melon, pear and lavender. Then, on the palate, the expansion starts on a base of silky almond cream and builds up slowly and steadily through the long, long finish. Aftertaste of lemon cream. Never ebullient, but medium-bodied, layered and silky, this is quiet refinement flexing its muscles. Total balance. Beautifully done. All in place. Best ever. Enjoy now or hold.

92
APRIL 2023
Inama “Carmenère Più” Veneto Rosso IGT 2021

This is a quintessential trattoria or bistro wine, as you may. Peppery, refined, lifted and dangerously easy to drink. Mid-weighted, but lighter of feel. Peppery salumi, mint, sage and tarragon, not too far away from a cool climate syrah, or mondeuse. Distinctly alpine of feel. Fresh, effusive of energy and dangerous. I love this wine! An everyday wine drinker's wine. Drink now.

95
FEBRUARY 2024
Inama "I Palchi" Foscarino Grande Cuvée Soave DOC 2021

The 2021 Soave Classico I Palchi Foscarino Grande Cuvée is a platinum-golden color with a youthfully intense bouquet that blends raw almond with stone dust, dusty dried flowers and Asian pear. This seduces with its silken textures and supple personality, washing across the palate with crisp, ripe orchard fruits complicated by a salty mix of savory herbs and minerals. The 2021 tapers off dramatically long and fresh, leaving a resonance of mint and liquid stone.

94
MAY 2023
Inama “Bradisismo” Colli Berici Cabernet DOC 2019

A poised and vivid blend of cabernet sauvignon and carmenere. Plums, blueberries, dark cherries, undergrowth, leaves, sweet tobacco and a touch of black olives. Medium- to full-bodied with fine, firm tannins. Structured and textured with dark berries and some chocolate character on the palate. Earthy with hints of spices towards the long finish. Best from 2025.

95
AUGUST 2022
Inama “Foscarino” Soave DOC Classico 2020

Very ripe, yet discreet and so mineral and punchy, almost like smelling a wet rock. Bone-dry and crisp, yet elegant and textured. Really attractive and subtle with a linear, mineral finish. Delicious now, but will hold, too.

92
MARCH 2023
Inama “Bradisismo” Colli Berici Cabernet DOC 2020

The 2020 Cabernet Bradisismo is dusty and floral in the glass with vivid wild berries complemented by rose, sage and graphite nuances. It's softly textured and lifted in feel with a blend of tart red berries and sweet spice energized by zesty acidity. This leaves a tug of fine tannins and hints of black licorice to linger, finishing lightly structured and spicy. There's a warm vintage feel, but the balance here is gorgeous. While labeled Cabernet, the Bradisismo also contains 30% Carménère, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

92
AUGUST 2022
Inama “Vin Soave” Soave DOC Classico 2021

A bone-dry, mineral Soave Classico with a mineral whiff to the limey citrus and green apples. Taut and textured on the palate, underscoring purity and elegance. Drink now or hold.