Tamellini "Le Bine de Costiola" Soave Classico '21

The Tamellini family has been cultivating vineyards for four generations, historically having sold its fruit through the co-op system. But in 1998 the brothers Gaetano and Pio Francesco decided to found their own winery with the aim of producing unique wine from their Garganega grapes rather than selling the fruit to others. Gaetano tends to the growth and production of the vineyards, while Pio heads the winemaking. Their vineyards are in the heart of Soave, near the city of Verona, and, in the vineyards and the cellar, they work as naturally as possible. Long maligned as an appellation because of commercial production from large producers in the 1980s and ’90s, today Soave has a fierce cohort of family wineries who are making remarkable small-production, honest wines, and this is one of them.

“Le Bine de Costìola” is made from Garganega (“gar-GAN-nehgah”), grown in a three-hectare single vineyard parcel planted in 1970, and is fermented in stainless steel vats. The wine has a complex floral nose, with aromatics of stone fruits and ripe citrus. On the palate, it presents a rich, somewhat mineral texture with notes of almonds, finishing with bright, crisp acidity. Persistent and full bodied, this is a serious wine that ages well and gains complexity over time. Try it with a simple seared fish preparation, perhaps with artichokes and béarnaise, or pair it with a mushroom risotto.