Bow & Arrow Garganega 2025
We have 6 in stock (Inventory is live and accurate)
The Land
Garganega is the grape behind Soave, and it is almost never planted outside the Veneto. Bow & Arrow's comes from about a quarter acre in the Willamette Valley, a rare planting of the variety anywhere in the United States. In Italy, Garganega's best sites are volcanic hills: the basalt of Soave Classico and, just over the provincial line, the slopes of Gambellara, where Angiolino Maule makes the wines that inspired this one. The Willamette Valley offers a cooler, wetter analog, with long, dry summers, cool nights and a slow fall ripening that holds acidity in a late-ripening grape like this. Garganega needs a long season to lose its green edge, and a cool-climate site like the Willamette pushes it toward herbs and citrus rather than the riper almond-and-melon register of warmer Soave.
The Wine
Bow & Arrow Garganega 2025 is a very small-production white made as an alternative cousin to Soave rather than a copy. The grapes soaked on their skins for a couple of days before pressing, then fermented and rested in old barrels. That short maceration adds a little texture and phenolic grip without turning the wine orange, and the neutral wood rounds it while leaving the fruit untouched. The winery describes it as waxy, herbal and tropical. Expect lemon oil, chamomile, green almond and a flash of pineapple, a waxy mid-weight texture from the skin contact, and a dry finish with a slightly bitter, almond-skin snap that is classic Garganega. This is Garganega from the Willamette Valley, and a rare look at how the grape behaves in Oregon.
The People
Scott Frank moved to the Willamette Valley from New York in 2001 and got into wine sideways, as a grocery-store wine buyer in Portland. In 2007 John Paul of Cameron Winery in Dundee hired him as an assistant winemaker despite his thin résumé, and in 2010 Frank accepted an offer of fruit that became Bow & Arrow, self-funding the project for its first years. Bow & Arrow buys its fruit, working with a small circle of farmers willing to plant or graft the varieties he wants and farm the way he believes in, some for more than a decade, including Johan Vineyards and Walnut Ridge since 2011. A quarter acre of Garganega in Oregon is exactly the kind of experiment that model makes possible.
Food Pairing
Garganega's herbal lift and almond-skin bitterness belong with northern Italian cooking. Try risi e bisi, the springtime rice and pea soup finished with parmesan, where the wine's waxy texture meets the starch. Fritto misto of calamari and zucchini with lemon lets the acidity clean up the fry. Pasta with pesto, green beans and potatoes plays to the herbal side, and a whole grilled branzino with olive oil and oregano matches its citrus. A white to pour when you want something new on the table without a lecture attached.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
The Willamette Valley, nestled in Oregon, is a region renowned for its cool-climate wines, particularly its Pinot Noir. While Pinot Noir is its most celebrated variety, the valley is also home to other cool climate varieties like Chardonnay and Riesling. The region's unique terroir, characterized by rolling hills, volcanic and sedimentary soils, and a maritime climate influence, contributes to the elegance and complexity of its wines. The wines of the Willamette Valley offer a delicate balance between fruit, acidity, and earthiness. Its increasingly growing reputation places it among the world’s top regions for Pinot Noir.
