Lugana: discovering one of the great Italian white wines.

LUGANA: A LAND OF CLAY,
THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE LAKE,
AND A GRAPE UNIQUE OF ITS TYPE
 

Undoubtedly the wine in vogue at the moment and the reasons for this could be many: because it's summer and white wines are appreciated even more than usual; because it conjures up pictures of Lake Garda, holidays, beaches, sailing boats, sun and 'joie de vivre'; or perhaps because it has finally established itself for what it really is. Lugana is one of the great Italian white wines able to satisfy all tastes with its various versions - still, sparkling and even late harvest : Lugana can be 'allegro', light, scintillating but also a deep and structured wine to be kept down in the cellar and enjoyed after a few years, to capture the nuances of an ageing that only wines of great character can offer.

"A Wine that is not afraid of taking on the challenge of time."

So, Lake Garda, or to be more precise, the southern part, between Lombardy and the Veneto, Desenzano and Peschiera, in an area which takes all the benefits of being close to this great expanse of water. Morainic terrain formed in the distant ages of glaciation, leaving a rich, fertile and mineral soil resulting in a grape of a very precise identity and wines with complex aromas. But, above all, it is the climate which is the determining influence: equable, mild, continuously freshened by a very pleasant breeze which caresses the rows of vines and keeps away humidity. The production here is mainly given over to a white grape of extraordinary qualities: Turbiana (once called Trebbiano di Lugana) often associated in the past with other varieties, initially with Trebbiano di Soave and then with another great Italian grape, Verdicchio from the Marche, even if Turbiana is quite distinct from both.

What should we expect to find in our glass?

Everything! Everything that a seductive white wine should have: a bright colour that with time takes on vivid golden notes; a great freshness, structure and variety of aromas which can go from white flowers, citrus fruit and aromatic herbs, fleshy, juicy and sweet apple right up to complex sensations of flint, hazelnut and almond.

What are you waiting for? Try it!