Soave

A dry white wine from the north-east of Italy made principally from garganega and trebbiano grapes. This is not the sort of wine that one writes home about — it has a mild, indistinctive flavour that rarely draws much attention. As such, Soave is best drunk with a meal which has character, rather than on its own or with bland food.

There is little difference between most DOC Soave wines, so selecting a bottle is not an overly perilous task. Even a cheap supermarket bottle will be perfectly drinkable. The Soave Classico mark often indicates a slightly higher quality. IGT wines are allowed more variety in their composition and production than those which bear the DOC mark; some IGT Soave wines are attempts at producing a less boring wine, whilst others are simply not of high enough quality to gain DOC status.

Soave wines are intended for early drinking, so a recent vintage is generally best.

"Soave Bolla" is a term usually used to refer to an understated table wine* from the northeast ("Bolla"**) section of Italy. However, "Soave Bolla" can also be used as a slightly sardonic descriptor to refer to someone who is attempting to appear suave. (The term can also be used to refer teasingly  to someone who is successfully being suave, because, well, come on. Who doesn't want to tease someone who is successful at being suave?)

Variants: "soave fucking bolla," "fucking soave bolla," "hey, you ball a bolla, you think you're soave?", etc.

* It is characterized as having a "restrained, reluctant nose of lemon with some herbaceous notes." I should probably note that this particular wine connoisseur is placing the wine in the context of "The Sopranos" (hit HBO show). Tony Soprano is, in my book, most def "soave bolla," even to the point of being reluctant, on a number of fronts (that of suaveness not excepted).

** The Bolla folks note that "Bolla wines are authentic Italian wines that express the true Italian passion for life."

So*a"ve (?), a. [It.] Mus.

Sweet.

© Webster 1913.