2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
In his hometown of Gambellara, a sleepy village about halfway between Verona and Vicenza, Davide Vignato is making waves with his stony, acid-driven white wines. The forgotten neighbor to nearby Soave, with which it shares the Garganega grape, Gambellara is shining thanks to young growers such as Davide, who have traded stratospheric yields of underripe grapes for a focus on quality through organic farming and low-intervention winemaking. After all, Gambellara’s peculiar terroir—ancient volcanic hillsides littered with chunks of basalt—is well worth a closer look.
Davide’s latest creation, a sparkling wine of Garganega refermented in bottle without disgorgement, is an altogether different take on these rocky slopes. His approach to the sui lieviti style is a unique one: the base wine ferments to dryness with native yeast in stainless steel, and completes its malolactic fermentation to ensure it is stable without needing sulfur. Several months later, he mixes in a calculated dose of pressed juice from Garganega grapes that had been drying since harvest—a sweet nectar intended to set off a secondary fermentation. The blended, semi-sweet wine is then crown-capped and left to referment in bottle.
Primo Incontro (First Encounter)—named for the wine’s suitability to casual meet-ups among friends, but also a nod to the total novelty of the style—is akin to a yeasty brew of ground-up minerals bisected by a bolt of laser-sharp, mouth-watering acidity. No filtration, no disgorgement, no sulfur—this is unadulterated, bone-dry, incredibly stimulating, low-alcohol Garganega frizzante from the unheralded volcanic hills of Gambellara. It’s an encounter well worth repeating.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | sparkling |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Garganega |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Veneto |
Producer: | Davide Vignato |
Winemaker: | Davide Vignato |
Vineyard: | 25 years average |
Soil: | Volcanic, basalt soil |
Farming: | Biodynamic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 10.5% |
Davide Vignato Italy | Veneto | Gambellara Classico
Davide Vignato Italy | Veneto | Gambellara
Davide Vignato Italy | Veneto | Gambellara, Veneto Bianco
Gregoletto Italy | Veneto | Colli Trevigiani Verdiso
Corte Gardoni Italy | Veneto | Corvina Veronese IGT
Italy’s most prolific wine region by volume, the Veneto is the source of some of the country’s most notorious plonk: you’ll find oceans of insipid Pinot Grigo, thin Bardolino, and, of course, the ubiquitous Prosecco. And yet, the Veneto produces the highest proportion of DOC wine of any Italian region: home to prestigious appellations like Valpolicella, Amarone, and Soave, it is capable of excelling in all three colors, with equally great potential in the bubbly and dessert departments.
With almost 200,000 acres planted, the Veneto has a wealth of terroirs split between the Po Valley and the foothills of the Alps. While the rich soils of the flatlands are conducive to mechanization, high yields, and mass production of bulk wine, the areas to the north offer a fresher climate and a diversity of poor soil types, ideal for food-friendly wines that show a sense of place. Whether it’s a charming Prosecco Superiore from the Glera grape, a stony Soave or Gambellara from Garganega, or a Corvina-based red in any style, the Veneto’s indigenous grape varieties show real character when worked via traditional production methods.
Since his first visit in 1979, Kermit has regularly returned to the Veneto to enjoy its richness of fine wines and local cuisine. Our collaboration with Corte Gardoni, our longest-running Italian import, is a testament to this. The proximity of beautiful cities like Verona and Venice, with their deep culinary heritage, certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
Gregoletto Italy | Veneto | Colli Trevigiani Verdiso
Gregoletto Italy | Veneto | Prosecco Treviso
Gregoletto Italy | Veneto | Colli Trevigiani
Corte Gardoni Italy | Veneto | Bianco di Custoza
Gregoletto Italy | Veneto | Colli Trevigiani
Corte Gardoni Italy | Veneto | Corvina Veronese IGT
Corte Gardoni Italy | Veneto | Bardolino Chiaretto
Corte Gardoni Italy | Veneto | Bardolino
Corte Gardoni Italy | Veneto | Bardolino
Davide Vignato Italy | Veneto | Gambellara Classico
Davide Vignato Italy | Veneto | Gambellara
When buying red Burgundy, I think we should remember:
1. Big wines do not age better than light wine.
2. A so-called great vintage at the outset does not guarantee a great vintage for the duration.
3. A so-called off vintage at the outset does not mean the wines do not have a brilliant future ahead of them.
4. Red Burgundy should not taste like Guigal Côte-Rôtie, even if most wine writers wish it would.
5. Don’t follow leaders; watch yer parking meters.
Inspiring Thirst, page 174
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/bpa