Zenato Colombara Soave Classico DOC 2025, Veneto

Zenato Colombara Soave Classico DOC comes from the historic Classico heart of Soave, around the villages of Soave and Monteforte east of Verona, with part of the fruit from the Colombara cru, where volcanic soils alternate with limestone. It is a blend led by Garganega, the great white grape of Soave, with smaller amounts of Trebbiano di Soave and Chardonnay. The grapes are hand-picked, gently pressed and fermented in stainless steel at controlled temperatures to keep their freshness and aroma.

In the glass it is straw-yellow with greenish highlights. The nose is delicate yet expressive, with white flowers, pear, yellow-fleshed fruit and a touch of citrus over a mineral background. The palate is dry, medium-bodied and harmonious, with a savoury, refined character, a clean finish and the classic bitter almond note of good Soave.

Colombara is an excellent food wine. Serve it with antipasti, risotto with spring vegetables, pasta with seafood, grilled white fish or roast chicken, or enjoy it on its own as an aperitif. Serve chilled at 9 to 10°C. Zenato’s Soave is at its best within two to three years of the vintage, while its fruit is fresh and lively.

Zenato’s story begins in 1960 at San Benedetto di Lugana, on the southern shore of Lake Garda, where Sergio Zenato and his wife Carla Prospero set out to show what this corner of the Veneto could do. Today their children, Nadia and Alberto, run the family estate from Peschiera del Garda, farming nearly a hundred hectares of vineyards across Lugana, Valpolicella and Bolgheri. The range is built on two pillars: crisp, characterful Lugana whites from the lakeside clay soils, and rich, generous Valpolicella reds from the chalky hillsides above Verona, crowned by Ripassa and Amarone. Sustainability matters here too, with the family following the Equalitas programme since 2021 and keeping bees on the Costalunga estate in Valpolicella.