# Balestri Valda Soave Classico DOC (2023)

- **Producer:** Azienda Agricola Balestri Valda
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Garganega
- **Region:** Veneto, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €20
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blossom, peach, apricot, nectarine, melon, pineapple, orange, cream, almond, honey

## About this wine

Azienda Agricola Balestri Valda is a family-run estate located in the historic, hillside-centric Soave Classico sub-region of Veneto, Northern Italy. Founded by Guido Rizzotto in 1994, the winery is now co-managed by his daughter Laura, who spearheaded the estate's transition to certified organic agriculture. The estate is highly dedicated to preserving local biodiversity, maintaining honeybee hives and fruit trees alongside their low-yield, hand-harvested hillside vineyards. Their soils are a unique combination of dark volcanic basalt and marine limestone, which imparts a distinct mineral tension to their wines.

## Interesting facts

- The estate maintains active honeybee hives in the vineyards to promote natural pollination and support local biodiversity.
- The label features a volcano erupting with grapes, symbolizing the ancient volcanic basalt soils of the Soave Classico zone.
- Unlike mass-produced flatland Soave, Balestri Valda is sourced entirely from hand-harvested, low-yield hillside parcels.

## Food pairing

This Soave Classico thrives on its bright acidity, medium body, and distinct saline minerality. It pairs beautifully with dishes that feature creamy textures (like Burrata) which are cut through by the wine's freshness, or delicate proteins like white fish and rabbit. The classic bitter-almond finish also complements the savory notes of traditional Venetian seafood dishes.

## Wine making process

The 2023 Soave Classico is crafted from 100% Garganega grapes, hand-harvested from premium hillside plots including Monte Carniga, Sengialta, and Campagnola. The grapes undergo temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel vats using natural, indigenous yeasts to preserve the pure varietal character. To enhance texture and complexity without the influence of oak, the wine is aged briefly on its fine lees in stainless steel tanks before bottling.