Soave should be known as one of the great undervalued Italian white wines. For people who are not familiar with the area, which is from the Veneto region in northeast Italy, the name “Soave” might be assumed to mean a wine that is “suave,” if not a little bland. And many of them are, since a large percentage of the production of the wines come from a massive wine cooperative producing cheap whites at low cost for bargain customers around the world.

For a long time the excessive production has chipped away the reputation of some of the finest renditions of Soave. As a workhorse grape, garganega can be way too generous in yields, tempting producers (including many co-operatives) to think about quantity over quality to meet demand.

Yet the value of Soave has improved tremendously, thanks to some dedicated, quality-conscious producers, including the most famous ones such as Pieropan, Prà, Suavia, Inama and Gini, just to name a few, who used to produce bulk wines, but not anymore.

The nose of an excellent Soave is often not immediately obvious, but ranges from ripe lemony citrus, melon/mango-like tropical fruit to some light spicy and floral characters that extend to the palate in a medium to full body. James likes to compare the best to top dry riesling.

With the yield being reined in and ripeness under check, Soave can become a serious white. Despite the controversy, Soave Superiore was raised to DOCG status in the early 2000s as the region keeps treading its road of premiumization, making riper, fresher and more complex wines.

Today, the most acclaimed Soaves often come from the heartland of Soave Classico DOC where vineyards are mostly located high on the steep hillside (often 200-300m above sea level) on various terroirs with different microclimates and aspects, giving rise to diverse expressions and rendering a sense of place. Classic examples include the single-vineyard wines from the well-acclaimed Pieropan – Calvarino and La Rocca. The former has soils rich in volcanic basalts, giving the wine an austere yet savory edge with an almost pungent, sulfurous accent. In contrast, the latter shows riper characters with its limy, calcareous soil. These are often a bit denser and more opulent wines but still fresh and zesty with that Chablis-like tautness and textural allure, sometimes with a subtle complexity developed from the discreet influence of botrytis.

While Soave (Classico) as a region/wine is well known, its low-profile grape garganega, which makes up at least 70 percent of the wine, is behind the scenes, with the remaining 30 percent made up by trebbiano di Soave (verdicchio) and sometimes to a lesser extent chardonnay, contributing to an even more variable style.

In most cases, excellent Soaves are real steals, simply because Soave is still shadowed by the old image of inexpensive wines that are massively produced, and people are not ready to take the serious versions of Soaves very seriously. I enjoy Soave ripe, fresh and taut, and a few bottles may develop stunning complexity when properly aged up to decades. But most don’t go that far, and many still face the risk of premature oxidation. I recently experienced a few oxidized bottles. So be careful with producers and storage conditions with your merchants.

Also, Soave should be your go-to dry white for food (if you like luscious whites, then check out Recioto di Soave). A fresh Soave pairs well with almost everything on your dinner table thanks to its approachable styles, freshness and wonderful balance that are keys to drinkability.

I consider the following seven bottles from the 2018 vintage among the classic picks of Soave that consumers can easily come across with excellent quality and great value at around $15. Take advantage, and toast the stupendous value of the modern Soave!