Blog: Lugana | The Evergreen from Lake Garda
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The Lugana story

Lugana and the wide world
Lugana crossed the borders of its homeland for the first time thanks to a certain Mr. Agello. He was neither a winegrower nor a wine producer, but a fearless airplane pilot. It was the middle of fascism, and the editors-in-chief of the daily newspapers had been politely asked to send their best correspondents to Desenzano del Garda, because it was from this town that Agello attempted to break the world speed record, which he once even succeeded in doing.

The encounter at the Hotel Barchetta
Since Agello, like any self-respecting legendary pilot, smashed more engines than records, the journalists had plenty of free time on their hands. They met at the Hotel Barchetta and quenched their thirst from the barrels stacked at the entrance.

The revelation of the Lugana secret
When there is nothing to report, a competent reporter invents something, if only to prove to his editors that his expenses are justified. And here the news was just around the corner, or rather in the glass, especially for the correspondent of the Turin daily La Stampa, who had discovered some fundamental truths.

'But just a few meters outside its home borders, Lugana is no longer Lugana,' explains the director of the Consortium for the Protection of the Wines of the Province of Brescia, wine expert of this appellation and thorough connoisseur of Lugana wine. The first research results on Lugana were published over forty years ago by Dr. Michele Vescia on the specificity of the Trebbiano di Lugana grape and the resulting wine.

Like Nebbiolo in the Langhe, the white Lugana grapes are often harvested in October; if the must was left in the barrels, as was customary at the time, it fermented a second time and turned into a tasty sparkling wine, which the locals called Torbiolino (roughly: cloudy) because it was still a little cloudy from the malolactic fermentation; moreover, you could drink quite a lot of it without having a hangover the next day.

The discussion at the Vecchia Lugana restaurant
An illustrious group sits in a small room in the Vecchia Lugana restaurant: the mayor of Sirmione, the actual capital of this wine (Lugana is a district of Sirmione), the director of the protection consortium and seven of the best-known producers and journalists who first ask about the reasons for the current popularity of the wine.

The stories behind Lugana wine
The discussion about Lugana's past is heated: land was bought, vines were planted and capital was invested in a wine that until recently was only drunk by locals and German vacationers on Lake Garda.

Certainly, it is strange that these white grapes ripen so late, while in the neighborhood the harvest of Friulano grapes already begins at the end of August. This vine is also quite capricious: a bountiful harvest is followed by a poor harvest. This also explains why this wine also appeals to red wine drinkers: well-made Lugana has a lot of structure and a high extract content - surprising for this hypocritical wine, which is thought to be light and short-lived.

Lugana is popular among young people
It is also surprising that young people like the wine. We are told the story of two young men who came into the wine cellar of a local producer and asked for Lugana.The salesman - sure that the two didn't have a cent in their pockets - called the owner. He sheepishly asked them if they knew how much the wine cost and wanted to know how many bottles they wanted to buy. 'Eighteen cartons...' replied one of them '... because that's the wine for our parties'. Of course, this is just an anecdote, but it is revealing about the tastes of young people: as soon as they find a pleasant wine that they instinctively understand, they buy and drink it.

The sophistication of Lugana sparkling wine
Due to its relatively high acidity, Lugana is also very suitable for making sparkling wine. It is a refined version of the Torbiolino that was drunk in the 1930s. The Lugana producers claim that it is an honest, Italian sparkling wine that has not imitated anything and does not tolerate any sugaring. - Gerardo [TS03/24]