Lugana

No winery has characterised Lugana like Zenato. When Sergio Zenato started out in San Benedetto di Lugana in 1960, the appellation was a sleepy corner on the southern shore of Lake Garda. Today, the family winery owns 70 hectares of the best vineyards – a tenth of the entire DOC. The Trebbiano di Lugana grape variety, also known as Turbiana, is rooted here on clayey moraine soils between Peschiera and Desenzano. DNA analyses suggest a relationship with Verdicchio – a debate that is causing a stir among ampelographers. One thing is certain: The 30-year-old vines produce grapes of remarkable complexity. Hand-picked at the end of September, gently pressed, fermented at 16–18°C in stainless steel.

Pale straw yellow with greenish reflections, clear and brilliant in the glass. Seductive on the nose with notes of white peach, citrus zest, lime blossom and a hint of almond. Fresh and juicy on the palate, carried by lively, finely balanced acidity and a delicate, creamy texture. The clay-rich soils lend the wine a fine salty trace that harmoniously complements the fruity core. Long, mineral finish with plenty of drinkability. A Lugana that effortlessly combines crisp freshness, elegance and regional authenticity. SUPERIORE.DE

Probably the most famous Lugana from the southern shore of Lake Garda – i Frati is the flagship of the estate. Made from 100% Turbiana from calcareous moraine soils, it combines regional typicity with fine modern precision. Brilliant straw yellow in the glass with greenish reflections. Fresh citrus fruit, white peaches, pears and a hint of almond blossom on the nose, complemented by delicate herbal notes. Clear and juicy on the palate, with lively, well-integrated acidity, fine flavour and a subtle mineral vein that lends freshness and depth in equal measure. The final is long, elegant and characterised by citrus fruit. A timeless classic that brings the terroir of the Lugana region perfectly into the glass – stylish, stimulating to drink and with assured ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

A small lake, over 60 animal species, some of them rare, and in the middle of it all: 30 hectares of Turbiana vines (Trebbiano di Soave). Oasi Mantellina in Pozzolengo is the Allegrini family's latest chapter, a commitment to one of the most exciting white wine appellations in northern Italy. The soils here differ from classic Lugana: sandier, interspersed with gravel. The result is wines with lively acidity instead of heavy minerality. After gentle pressing, the 2024 matures for four months in steel, followed by two months in the bottle.

If any wine has made an appellation world-famous, it is this one: Santa Cristina comes from the Vigneto Massoni, Zenato's oldest and most historic vineyard, which is regarded as the greatest site in the entire Lugana region. Here, on the calcareous and clayey moraine soils south of Lake Garda, Trebbiano di Lugana reaches its most elegant expression. The vines at Podere Massoni benefit from an ideal southern exposure: optimal sunshine during the day and cool nights from the lake. After gentle pressing, the must ferments for 15–20 days at a controlled 16–18°C, followed by five months of ageing in stainless steel and further bottle ageing.

With the Brolettino, Ca' dei Frati shows the powerful, mature side of Lugana. The Turbiana grapes come from older vines, whose deep roots give the fruit particular concentration. After fermentation, the wine matures for several months in barriques, which gives it additional structure and depth. Brilliant straw yellow colour with golden reflections in the glass. Ripe yellow fruit, pineapple, apricot and candied lemon on the nose, with fine vanilla and almond notes. Creamy and full-bodied on the palate, with an elegant woody flavour, fine minerality and harmoniously integrated acidity. The finish is long, smooth and delicately enveloping. A Lugana with fullness and elegance, which presents itself excellently both young and after a few years of ageing in the bottle. SUPERIORE.DE

Lugana as a sparkling wine? The idea sounds unusual, but Sergio Zenato has been pursuing it since the winery was founded in the 1960s. He recognised early on that Trebbiano di Lugana, with its fine acidity and aromatic purity, was ideal for traditional bottle fermentation. Hand-picked in mid-September, gentle whole-cluster pressing, fermentation with natural yeasts at 16°C in stainless steel. This is followed by the decisive step: the second fermentation in the bottle according to the Metodo Classico – the same method used in Champagne. The Spumante sur lie matures for a full 24 months before remuage and dégorgement release the fine flavours.

Demesse Vecchie is named after the village where Olivini has its family seat. The historic part of the vineyard was home to a nunnery in the late 17th century. The addition "vecchie" promises that the grapes for this very complex Lugana come from the estate's oldest vines, some of which are over 50 years old. They are also harvested late and carefully selected, after which they are matured on the fine lees for several months.

Tenuta Sansonina is located in the south of Lake Garda, not far from Sirmione – where the lake sends its breath over the hills and the soil tells the story of what the last ice age left behind: Deep, clayey chalk-silt mixture that stores water, buffers heat and gives the Turbiana grape that unnerving minerality that sets Lugana apart from everything else. Thirteen hectares, organically farmed, with vines that are around sixty years old – vines that know how deep to dig. 100 per cent Trebbiano di Lugana, harvested by hand and carefully selected before the grapes reach the winery. The must is first cold-fermented statically, then fermented for around ten to twelve days in stainless steel at a controlled temperature. Six months of ageing in steel tanks, one month in the bottle: no wood, no interference, just the wine and its terroir.

The Cuvée dei Frati is composed of classic Lugana grapes and ten per cent Chardonnay to round it off. After 24 months of ageing on the lees in the bottle, this fine sparkling wine is created with aromas of biscuit, hay and dried tobacco leaves. The moderate carbonic acidity makes it glide over the palate like silk. SUPERIORE.DE

Pale straw yellow in colour with a fine, lively perlage. The bouquet shows clear signs of citrus fruit, yellow peach and green apple, accompanied by a fine bread crust flavour and a salty hint. Dry and elegantly structured on the palate, with taut acidity, fine mousse and astonishing finesse. Thanks to 24 months of ageing on the lees, the texture is creamy, the finish long, mineral and characterised by subtle almond notes – a Lugana in sparkling guise that impressively emphasises the potential of the indigenous Turbiana as a sparkling wine. SUPERIORE.DE

A Lugana Metodo Classico with superior elegance: Olivini's extra brut made from 100% Turbiana matures for around 36 months on the fine lees and combines freshness, structure and fine complexity. Pale straw yellow in colour with golden reflections and a fine, persistent perlage. On the nose, notes of lemon, white apple and bread crust, subtly accompanied by hints of almond. Clear and dry on the palate, with lively acidity, precise texture and fine mineral tension.

Brilliant golden yellow colour. Complex notes of light peach, fresh pineapple and poached apricot on the nose. Rich and creamy on the palate with accents of smoke and toasted almonds. The finish is long-lasting, mineral and herb-accentuated. This very focussed and complex white paints a beautiful portrait of the refined side of the Trebbiano di Lugana grape, which is becoming increasingly popular. SUPERIORE.DE

Ca' dei Frati, known as "il luogo dei Frati" since 1782 – the place of the monks – in Lugana near Sirmione on Lake Garda, is now owned by the fourth generation of the Dal Cero family. The traditional winery vinifies each vineyard plot separately in order to precisely express the respective terroir. The Cuvée dei Frati dosaggio zero is made from the indigenous Turbiana grape variety, the famous Trebbiano di Lugana, supplemented by a small dose of Chardonnay to maintain the acidity structure typical of Metodo Classico wines. The grapes grow on calcareous, clayey soils on the moraine hills south of Lake Garda, whose minerality gives the wines a special freshness and sapidity. The first fermentation takes place partly in stainless steel and partly in barriques, the second fermentation strictly according to the Metodo Classico in the bottle. After at least 36 months on the lees – significantly longer than for Brut – followed by a further four months of bottle ageing after disgorgement.

In 1782, a document recorded what the monks in Sirmione had long known: that this spot on the southern Garda was something special. "A house with a cellar in Lugana, known as the place of the monks" – says the sober note that now bears the name of the winery. Cà dei Frati, the house of the brothers. When Felice Dal Cero took over the estate in 1939, he recognised the same truth as the monks before him: the Turbiana grape, the white stubbornness of Lake Garda, feels at home here. His son Pietro brought out the first bottle under his own label – and helped to create the Lugana DOC in 1969. The house and the denomination: inseparable.

Probably the most famous Lugana from the southern shore of Lake Garda – i Frati is the flagship of the estate. Made from 100% Turbiana from calcareous moraine soils, it combines regional typicity with fine modern precision. Brilliant straw yellow in the glass with greenish reflections. Fresh citrus fruit, white peaches, pears and a hint of almond blossom on the nose, complemented by delicate herbal notes. Clear and juicy on the palate, with lively, well-integrated acidity, fine flavour and a subtle mineral vein that lends freshness and depth in equal measure. The final is long, elegant and characterised by citrus fruit. A timeless classic that brings the terroir of the Lugana region perfectly into the glass – stylish, stimulating to drink and with assured ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE