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Lugana DOC is one of Italy’s oldest protected wine-growing areas.
Lugana is also one of the few Italian wine regions that crosses over two provinces, Brescia and Verona, and the two regions of Lombardy and Veneto. The vines are grown in an area of morainic origin, which rises from the shores of the lake towards the first hills. The soils are mainly made up of light clays with calcareous components, very rich in mineral substances. These lands have proven to be very suitable for the cultivation of white berried grapes.
The current production disciplinary provides for five types of Lugana DOC: the basic version, the Superiore, the Riserva, the Late Harvest and the Spumante.
The Lugana consortium was founded in 1990; it promotes the Lugana brand and safeguards its members and consumers, both in Italy and abroad. This small, idiosyncratic region has begun to create a buzz with sommeliers throughout the United States thanks to their approachability, affordability, and ease of pairing at the table.
Lugana DOC is an appellation spanning both the province of Brescia in Lombardy and the province of Verona in Veneto.
The Lugana DOC territory includes the entire municipality of Sirmione (BS) and a portion of the neighbouring municipalities Desenzano del Garda (BS), Lonato del Garda (BS), Pozzolengo (BS) and Peschiera del Garda (VR).
The territory is almost homogeneous, mainly flat. Its formation originated from an immense glacier that descended from the Adige valley, of which a smaller branch occupied the entire current basin of Lake Garda. This glacier later retreated several times to then return in subsequent periods, forming today’s Lake Garda and the hills adjacent to it.
Lugana is a plain DOC area, characterized by fertile clayey soils, which gradually become sandier in the hilly area of the DOC. These soils are the repositories of the Lugana’s organoleptic heritage: body and warmth, acidity and flavour in the structural backbone of the wine, vigorous, clear aromas, between almond and citrus, in the aromatic set.
In the Lugana DOC, the microclimate is positively influenced by the temperate breezes of Lake Garda and is ideal for the mildness and low incidence of temperature variations between day and night. The temperatures and its weather conditions are in many ways more similar to those of the Mediterranean climate. In fact, Garda is characterized by a Mediterranean-type flora: olive and lemon trees thrive almost everywhere in the coastal town.
Lugana’s identity is defined by a unique native grape, Turbiana.
Turbiana, grown locally, is none other than Trebbiano di Soave. Turbiana grapes were called Trebbiano di Lugana until 2008. It is a grape variety capable of expressing itself with versatility in the classic white and sparkling versions. Until the early 2000s, the grape was called Trebbiano di Lugana, sometimes known as Trebbiano di Soave.
The basic Lugana DOC has a pale straw yellow colour with greenish reflections. It has delicate, almost hinted scents, offering floral sensations mixed with almond notes; the taste is gentle, stylized, defined, taut and tasty.
To be defined as such, Lugana Superiore must undergo an ageing period of at least one year. The colour has golden reflections; the more articulated aromas offer hints of wild herbs, chlorophyll, ripe apple, citrus, combined with hazelnut notes or spices with the passage in wood.
Lugana Riserva is the natural evolution of the Superiore typology: it must age or refine for at least 24 months, of which 6 in the bottle and has brighter chromatic tones, more evolved and complex aromas, with smoky notes of flint and balsamic reflections, a minerality warmer on the palate.
Lugana DOC pairs well with seafood antipasti, fried freshwater or ocean fish, boiled shrimp, and lake fish such as luccio alla gardesana (pike in vegetable sauce), sarde in saor (marinated sardines), and tinca affumicata (smoked tench).
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When was the last time you had dinner in an Italian restaurant in Canada and you thought you were dining in Italy? That’s exactly how “Ospitalità Italiana Certified”restaurants want you to feel when you visit their fine dining establishments.
Ospitalità Italiana is an official certification from Unioncamere, Italy’s federation of local Chambers of Commerce and Industry, that tells you that the food you are enjoying is unquestionably Italian: products are authentic, ingredients genuine and recipes true to the thousand year history of Italian cuisine.
Canada is home to some leading Italian Chefs. Passionate and innovative, many have refined their skills and advanced their knowledge directly in Italy. In addition, Montréal boasts a fabulous cooking school ITHQ where young aspiring chefs learn Italian technic and Italian traditional recipes from the masters.
So the next time you make reservations for an Italian dinner in a Montreal restaurant, ask if they’ve received the Ospitalità Italiana seal of approval. You will enjoy the true Italian taste.
