Soave (wine) share of US sales were eventually eclipsed by Pinot grigio and an influx of new wines from southern Italy. The Soave DOC was created in 1968 with those boundaries revised and expanded periodically over the next few decades. As a point of introduction, it should be said that Soave and Chianti were the first zones in Italy (in 1931) to be recognized by Royal Decree as having the potential for producing fine wines. This document delimited the borders of the production zones which, in the case of Soave, coincide with those fixed under the current production regulations for Soave Classico.
Soave (wine) is different from the Trebbiano Toscano variety of Tuscany, and is also known as the Ugni blanc grape used in Cognac production. The DOC rules place new emphasis on the quality varieties and exclude Trebbiano Toscano, which had been allowed to constitute up to 15% of the blend. All the grapes used for the DOC wine must be harvested to a yield no greater than 14 tonnes/hectare with the finished wine fermented to a minimum alcohol level of at least 10.5%. In the Soave Superiore DOCG, Garganega must also account for a minimum of 70% of the wine, but Pinot