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Gambellara is a dry white wine of the Veneto wine region in north-eastern Italy. Its DOC title was granted in 1970, and the Gambellara which gives the DOC its name is a town in the western edge of the Vicenza province, roughly 15 miles (25km) east of Verona.
All Gambellara wines are produced in an area abutting the north-eastern side of the larger, more famous Soave DOC zone. The Soave name was confirmed as a DOC in 1968, just two years before Gambellara, but the former shot to fame and popularity in the 1980s while Gambellara remained a comparative obscurity (as did the name of the grape, Garganega, behind the two wines). This may be down to the efficacy of Soave's wine marketing, or perhaps simply the volumes each was capable of producing in order to quench the high demand for the refreshing, newly fashionable wines.
The topography here is decidedly hillier than in the Soave zone, and it is divided between the Valle del Chiampo and the hills above that valley. At the northern end of the Gambellara viticultural area, the terrain rises to more than 2000ft (610m) above sea level, although Gambellara town itself sits at just 190ft (60m). This variation creates all manner of subtle variations in the local terroir, allowing local vignerons to seek out the finest spots for their vines.
Many Italian DOCs and DOCGs have a classico ('classic') zone, and Gambellara is no exception. The zone's name refers to geographical and viticultural differences rather than stylistic and oenological ones. The classico zone is the oldest, most traditional vineyard area in which a named wine was produced, typically prior to the epidemic of DOC boundary expansion which spread through Italy in the 1970s and 1980s.
The wines are made predominantly from Garganega grapes, although Trebbiano Toscano and Trebbiano di Soave (Verdicchio by its local name) are permitted in small quantities. Garganega is a vigorous, prolific vine variety, and this was a key reason for its enthusiastic uptake in the latter half of the 20th century. For a long time, quantity was usually prioritized over quality when it came to Gambellara wines (the same was true in neighboring Soave and Valpolicella), but attitudes have now shown signs of positive change and quality is steadily improving.
The Gambellara vineyards also produce a sweet, dried-grape passito wine, again from Garganega grapes. It comes in both still and foaming spumante variants, and is sold as Recioto della Gambellara. The relatively rare wines were awarded DOCG status in 2008.
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