Trebbiano

Three grape varieties and one goal: freshness. Garganega brings structure, Cortese liveliness and Chardonnay rounds things off. The vineyards are located between Lazise, Peschiera and Valeggio, right on Zenato's doorstep on Lake Garda. Straw yellow in colour with green reflections. Aromas of peach, white flowers and a hint of citrus. Light and fresh on the palate, with restrained acidity and a pleasant mellowness. A white wine for the terrace, with antipasti or as an aperitif – light-hearted and yet with character. SUPERIORE.DE

Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is an underestimated grape variety. Anyone who only knows it from light white wines has not yet looked into the Colline Teramane – the hills between Gran Sasso and the Adriatic Sea, where Illuminati has been growing grapes since 1890. At 260 metres above sea level, on loamy-clayey soils that store every fresh drop of rain and welcome every sea gust, Trebbiano carries a dignity here that is rarely attributed to it elsewhere.

The small vine wood on the neck of the bottle tells a story: In Bolognano, the small village in the province of Pescara where Zaccagnini has been making wine since 1978, the local women tie each Tralcetto to the bottle by hand with raffia. A symbol of the connection with the land that has long since become a trademark. The Bianco di Ciccio comes from vineyards on clayey soils, where the vines grow partly on the classic pergola and partly on a trellis. An early harvest at the beginning of August preserves the lively acidity. After gentle vacuum pressing and cold clarification, only the fine must fraction ferments at a controlled low temperature – a process that maximises freshness and aroma.

This could be your perfect white house wine: Light straw yellow with greenish reflections. The Bianco "Ceregio" from Zerbina is made from pure Trebbiano Romagnolo and matured in stainless steel tanks. The nose has a fresh aroma of green apple, white blossom, a little lemon and a hint of freshly cut hay. On the palate, the wine is dry, clear and straightforward, with lively acidity, a delicate flavour and fine minerality. A fresh, typical regional white wine with organic certification that focuses entirely on the grape variety and the terroir of Emilia-Romagna – unpretentious, honest and pleasantly enjoyable to drink. SUPERIORE.DE

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

Brò is a white wine from sustainable cultivation that is hard to beat in terms of freshness, elegance and enjoyment. The grapes come from the clay and limestone soils near Fiumana di Predappio. Pale straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. On the nose, a captivating blend of crushed stones, spiced orange peel, dried apricot and peach, mixed with herbal elements. On the characterful palate, it is complex, juicy and very drinkable with its freshness and lightness. SUPERIORE.DE

Trebbiano can be more than just a fresh summer wine – as Zaccagnini's San Clemente has been proving for years. Named after the Romanesque abbey of San Clemente a Casauria, a national monument in the heart of the Valle Casauria, this wine is a commitment to the depth of an often underestimated grape variety. The grapes come from old vines on clayey soils with a south-westerly exposure, where the constant ventilation between the Apennines and the Adriatic ensures perfect ripeness. The grapes are harvested by hand at the end of September, beginning of October – later than Tralcetto, riper and more concentrated. The actual transformation begins in the cellar: 14 days of maceration at a cool 14-16°C extract texture and complexity without sacrificing freshness. The wine then matures for six months in untoasted barriques – the wood provides structure, not flavour.

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.

A real insider tip for lovers of elegant white wines: This Trebbiano shows what this grape variety can do outside the classic norm. It comes from biodynamic vineyards in a coastal location near Scansano, characterised by the influence of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The 2023 vintage was characterised by alternating sunny days and cool nights - ideal for aromatic clarity and finely balanced acidity. The wine was fermented cold in stainless steel and matured briefly to preserve varietal typicity and freshness.

The name is reminiscent of the ancient grain fields that once covered the hills of Spoltore before vines took root here. This Trebbiano has been labelled "Oro" since 2017 – a claim that it lives up to. The Di Properzio brothers select only three hectares of old vines on compact limestone-clay soils near the coast. What distinguishes Spelt Oro from conventional Trebbiano is its radical patience: after fermentation, the wine rests for four months sur lie in stainless steel tanks, which are deliberately located outside the winery – exposed to natural temperature fluctuations. Then another year in concrete. It is bottled after fifteen months, unfiltered, unclarified, without any stabilisation.

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.

Owner Leonardo Pinzolo cultivates 52 hectares of biodynamically certified vineyards on his family farms in Popoli and Capestrano. The soils here differ from those in the rest of Abruzzo. Combined with the higher altitude of the vineyards and the proximity to the Gran Sasso mountains, these wines have a decidedly cooler expression than is usually found in Abruzzo. In the winery, fermentations are spontaneous and without temperature control. With the exception of a few single-vineyard wines, most of the wines are matured in stainless steel.

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.

Campinovi tells the story of the Tuscan terroir from an unusual perspective: pure Trebbiano Toscano, to which Dievole adds a surprising dimension through twelve months of ageing in large, unroasted oak barrels made from Italian rovere and chestnut wood. The grapes grow at an altitude of 300 metres in organically cultivated vineyards, where sandy loam soils with gravel provide a distinctive minerality. Spontaneous fermentation in cement vats at a controlled 18°C preserves the natural freshness, while the subsequent barrel ageing gives the wine its characteristic complexity.

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