CONSORZIO TUTELA LUGANA DOC

The Verona area from which the Lugana wine Doc originates is that strip of land at the “base” of the Garda Lake in the Municipal District of Peschiera del Garda. The reference grape is the Turbiana grape, also known as Trebbiano di Soave or Lugana. That land that now you see surrounding Peschiera, filledwith life and vines, was once wild and thick, to the point that the “Lugana" name apparently originates from the Latin word “lucus”, woods. History teaches us that when the woods were turned into fields with no vines, these lands yielded very little compared to other fields around Garda. In fact, a popular way of saying stated that the owner of Lugana land believed to be lord but he wasn’t, because it was very difficult to find away to earn a living from such clayey lands. Today, on the other hand, thanks to a perfect agreement with that unique Trebbiano clone that Turbiana is, these fields give great satisfaction to local growers. The Lugana Doc (product specifications include also the Superior and Sparkling version, the latter both through a Classic and Charmat method) is a white wine that combines good structure
to a fresh taste, all accompanied by fine fragrances. This made it one of the most famous wines nationally and much appreciated abroad. Its Doc is one of the oldest in Italy, dating back to the year 1967, while the Consortium for its Protection was established in 1990. Effective from the next grape harvest
(2011) Lugana wines will add a “Reserve” with two years of ageing and a “Late Vintage”. To test its qualities, try it with lake fish, perhaps a Garda lake eel or oven-baked carp, and you’ll see how this white wine will be up to the task. Even if the above-mentioned dishes are already significant, you could amaze yourselves and your guests by combining a Lugana Superior to red grilled meat. This wine, which is born from a careful selection of grapes and an ageing process that lasts at least one year, will show how a white wine can have body and structure to envy. With appetizers, the perfect choice is a Lugana Sparkling wine, served chilled (6 to 8 degrees).
The discovery (or perhaps the re-discovery) of Lugana wine as a white wine
capable of improving after a few years of ageing is recent. In this respect, we would like to close with a quote by Luigi Veronelli, great enthusiast of this wine: “Drink your Lugana young, very young and you’ll enjoy its freshness. Drink it aged two or three years and you’ll enjoy its fullness. Drink it after ten years of ageing and you’ll be amazed by its composed authority. Lugana wines have an extraordinary ability to stand out, something that is rare in wines. If you taste a Lugana wine, and you’re a good taster, you’ll never forget it.”