RAISE A GLASS With Jane Clare
I love discovering more about wines and then sharing my thoughts with you.
There are several mass-produced wine sips from the north of Italy. Some have as much personality as a wet cardboard box. Then, this week I heard more about the whites of Lugana DOC from near the shores of Lake Garda. They graced my palate with vitality and flavour.
Edoardo Peduto, the director of the Lugana DOC consortium, told me on a Zoom: “Our wine represents our land perfectly. If you drink Lugana you are whisked away perfectly to the shores of Lake Garda. You can sip a glass of Lugana and look into the sunset and enjoy life.”
Sadly as we Brits head into the chillier days of autumn, we may not be doing that too often. But we can dream, and the wine allows us to dream!
The region is at the southernmost part of Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake. Vines have been planted there since Roman times. There are rich soils and the unique, distinctive grape turbiana. DNA tests have shown it has close ties to verdicchio.
Turbiana has high acidity, which means it can be at the heart of refreshingly approachable still white wines, and also sparkling wines and barrel-aged riserva styles with depth and longevity.
Flavours range from citrus, green fruits and peach through to quince, apricots, dried apples, and a creamy nuttiness.
I loved the soft, easy-drinking style of the simpler-made wines. They have more character and texture than some of their northern Italian cousins.
Easy drinking, says Edoardo, doesn’t mean a wine doesn’t have quality. He told me: “Behind the simplicity of our wine there’s the hard work of our producers and our proud tradition. It is a very elegant wine, very fresh, very delicate and yet at the same time it is very versatile.”
Lugana wines are becoming more widely available in the UK. Here are some you can find: ■ Lugana Italian Wine (top, £11, Asda) ■ Zenato Villa Flora Lugana (middle, £13, Waitrose)
■ Lugana Selva Podere Selva Capuzza (£13.45, ndjohn.co.uk)
■ Montresor Lugana Bio (£14.49, kwoff. co.uk)
■ Tommasi Le Fornaci Lugana (£15.99, or £12.99 in a buy six deal at Majestic)
■ Bolla Lugana (bottom, £16, Ocado)
■ Zeni Vigne Alte Lugana (Tanners, £17.20)
■ La Rifra Riserva Il Bepi (£28, Whitmore & White)
■ Jane is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. Find her on social media and online as One Foot in the Grapes.