A few weeks ago, at the 2018 Wine Bloggers Conference, I had a chance to taste some wines from Lugana DOC, a wine region in northern Italy. It’s not the first time I’ve tasted wines from Lugana, and hopefully it won’t be the last.
I can say with absolute certainty that every wine I’ve tried from Lugana thus far has been wonderful — with the exception of one that was corked, but that’s a different issue. Lugana wines tend to be well balanced with bright acidity, tasty citrus and stone fruit flavors and a touch of mineral. The ones I’ve had have been well made wines that stand out as something special.
Lugana is something unique. The wines produced under the Lugana DOC must be made with at least 90% turbiana, a grape that is unique to the region. It’s a small region too, with only 2,113 hectares in the region located at the southern end of Lake Garda, where the winds from the lake blow in. With nearly 100 miles of shoreline, Lake Garda is the biggest lake in Italy.
The Lugana DOC is divided across two of Italy’s regions, Veneto and Lombardy, with the largest territory residing within Lombardy but the largest volume of wine produced with the Veneto portion of the DOC. Lugana is also the first DOC to be established within Lombardy.
Although it is a fairly small region with some commonalities across the wines produced here, that’s not to say every Lugana tastes the same. Variances in the soils within the DOC, some more sandy and some more clay, variances in the climate and different production styles provide a spectrum of different wines within Lugana.
There are five different styles permitted under DOC regulations:
- Lugana: The basic style of wine produced here, which must use at least 90% turbiana.
- Lugana Superiore: Which must be aged for at least one year after harvesting before it can be sold.
- Lugana Riserva: Which must be aged for at least 2 years after harvesting, including 6 months of ageing in the bottle.
- Lugana Vendemmia Tardiva: Which is a late harvest, sweet wine.
- Lugana Spumante: Which is is a sparkling version of Lugana, which can be produced by either the charmat or traditional method.
While I don’t have full reviews of the wines I tasted, like I normally like to do, here are some quick notes I took from this tasting. Although you see six wines in the photo, I only have notes for five as one of them was corked.
- Selva Capuzza, Lugana, 2017: White peach, melon and mango on the nose. Super vibrant on the palate with crisp apple and peach flavors and a touch of saltiness. The finish is long. The global average price for this wine I found is $12, but the best price I could find in the US is $33.
- Cà Maiol, Lugana, 2017: Well-rounded on the nose, with soft peach aromas. Ripe fruit flavors, such as peach, apple and pear. Very good. I was able to find this for sale in the US for $16.
- Tenuta Roveglia, Vigne di Catullo, Lugana Riserva, 2015: Elegant and lovely on the nose, offering almond, apple and mandarin orange aromas. The palate is nice and tangy with granny smith apple and almond flavors. A touch of salty mineral. Very, very good. Priced around $19.
- Marangona, Rabbiosa Lugana Vendemmia Tardiva, 2015: Really rich on the nose, with butterscotch, honey, lemon and hazelnut aromas. Slightly sweet on the palate, with honey, ripe pear and ripe yellow delicious apple flavors. Amazing. I’ve not been able to find a price for this in the US.
- Otella, Back to Silence, Lugana, 2017: I could not believe this is a 2017 wine as it seems much more mature, offering intense aromas of baked apples, caramel, hazelnut and a yeasty herbal aroma. Clearly this wine spent some time on the lees. It has a creamy texture on the palate with rich lemon and hazelnut flavors. This is another amazing wine, which unfortunately I haven’t been able to find for sale in the US — yet.
These are just a few I’ve been able to taste recently. If you want to discover Lugana, ask for it in your local wine shop and see what you can find.
