VINOSO.Shop today would like to introduce you to the lugana production area.

Lugana,a wine-growing area south of Lake Garda,has a double regional affiliation: on the one hand it is in fact Lombard, on the other it is Venetian. There is a curious balance of forces on the pitch. The Lombard part of the denomination sees a quantitative predominance both in the field of municipalities (four out of five – Desenzano, Sirmione, Pozzolengo and Lonato – fall in fact in the province of Brescia) both in terms of hectares of cultivated (1,948 of the more than 2,000 current are cultivated in Brescia), the Venetian one instead, counts the only municipality of Peschiera del Garda, but holds the primacy of the commercial volume,given that 60% of the bottled is managed by Veronese producers. In addition, San Benedetto di Lugana, a real cru of the denomination, is in the municipality of Peschiera. The peculiarity is that all the municipalities of Lugana fall under the diocese of Verona:the Bishop of Verona has jurisdiction also over the parishes of Desenzano, Sirmione, Pozzolengo and Lonato. Also from the wine point of view the territory of Lugana is divided into two zones:the first, wider, that of the most leathery clays, is of a flat nature and extends horizontally along the hinterland between Desenzano, Sirmione, a part of the municipality of Pozzolengo and Peschiera. This is the beating heart of the denomination, which between Rovizza and Lugana, custodian hamlets of the most "lake" and mineral style of Lugana, finds its historical and elective areas. The second area, of a more hilly nature,stretches from the Monumental Tower of San Martino della Battaglia along a double direction: on one side towards Pozzolengo and on the other towards Lonato. Here clays become more sandy; the most wavy and sweet reliefs, with altitudes that do not exceed 130 meters; the more moraine soils (especially towards Lonato), with good presence of gravelly elements; less mineral, more acidic and voluminous wines. It is not an easy land to work with: it is compact and hard in times of drought, so much so that it becomes soft, plastic and muddy after rain. Precisely these chemical-physical characteristics, however, make it the custodian of lugana's organoleptic heritage, because they give the wine vigorous, clear aromas, between almond and citrus, as well as acidity, flavor and a well-balanced structure. In Lugana the microclimate, positively influenced by the temperate breezes of Lake Garda, is mild and quite constant, with few temperature excursions between day and night. A "climatic cradle" perfect to enhance the peculiarities of a particular grape such as Turbiana. A close relative of the Trebbiano di Soave - a geographically not far away vine, whose vineyards, however, rest on another type of soil, of volcanic and non-moraine origin - turbiana grapes have long been confused with Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi; however, the latest studies in this field have shown that it differs from that in its own aromatic characteristics, as well as from a phenological, agronomic and oenological point of view. Less productive than the average of the other national Trebbiano, Turbiana is a grape that has a medium, compact bunch, elongated pyramidal shape, spheroidal grape, thick peel, medium pruinosa (the pruina is that kind of white patina, with a similar appearance to flour, which is seen on the bunch during the ripening phase); juicy pulp, loose, slightly acidic, with a neutral flavor. Vinified in purity, it is able to express itself with versatility both in classic white and sparkling versions. Although the production specification provides for the presence of complementary white grape varieties, provided they are not aromatic, for a 10% share today the producers in the area tend to make their Lugana exclusively with turbiana grapes in purity.