We Only Went In for Fish. Now We’re Discussing Verona.
You know a dinner has gone well when the plates are empty and everyone’s still at the table. Someone mentions Italy. Someone else says, “We should go.” Within minutes, the person who can never commit to a Saturday lunch is available for an entire week in Verona.
Somewhere in between, there might be a bottle of Soave: a white from near Verona that deserves a little attention next time you’re choosing wine.
Pinot Grigio can have the evening off. It’s been covering a lot of shifts.
Italian wine, Irish fish, and enough potatoes to keep everyone on speaking terms.
A white worth getting distracted by
Soave comes from the Veneto region of northern Italy, with Garganega as its main grape. Look for Soave Classico and you’re looking at wine from the historic hillside area around Soave and Monteforte d’Alpone.
Source: Soave wine consortium. https://www.ilsoave.com/en/regulations/
That’s the geography. The more pressing question is whether you’d like a glass.
If you enjoy fresh, dry whites, there’s a good chance Soave will appeal. You can find citrus, apple or pear, delicate floral notes and a slightly almond-like finish. Some bottles are light and lively; others have a fuller, smoother texture.
Pieropan’s Soave Classico, for example, combines citrus and orchard-fruit flavours with fresh acidity and a smooth feel.
A lovely white and good company.
Italy, meet the contents of the shopping bag
Here’s what makes Soave relevant to a dinner table in Ireland: you don’t have to spend the afternoon making ravioli.
Fish and white meat are established partners for Soave Classico. And with good fish available close to home, the Italian part of dinner can simply be what’s in the glass.
We’d start with hake, lemon, butter and baby potatoes. A little parsley if you have it. No emergency journey for parsley if you don’t.
Or roast chicken with herbs, a green salad and the roast potatoes everyone said they only wanted two of.
For friends coming over, a large dish of baked fish makes a lovely centrepiece. Bring it to the table, let everyone help themselves, and accept that the person closest to the potatoes now holds considerable power.
Simple food gives you time to enjoy the company. Which is useful when “we’ll head off after dinner” turns into another hour of conversation at the door.
What to look for on the shelf
Soave Classico is a useful starting point. “Classico” refers to the historic growing area; it isn’t the age of the wine or a guarantee that every bottle will be your favourite.
Tell your wine merchant what you usually enjoy and what you’re cooking. Ask for something crisp and fresh, or a little rounder if that’s your preference. Set your budget before the phrase “for a few euro more” enters the conversation.
Serve it chilled according to the bottle’s guidance. We would recommend 8–10°C for the Classico. If the wine is very cold and the flavours seem quiet, let it warm a little in the glass.
Then put the bottle on the table and get back to dinner.
The Verona conversation
This is how Italian food and wine get you. A perfectly ordinary evening acquires a small sense of elsewhere.
The fish came from down the road. The potatoes are reassuringly local. But now you’re wondering what lunch would be like in Soave itself, and whether a few days near Verona might be manageable.
Next time you’re buying fish for dinner, look for a Soave to go with it.
And make extra potatoes. We’ve explored an unfamiliar Italian wine here. There’s no need to take chances with dinner.
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