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Lugana DOP: a modern wine of ancient tradition

Discover the Lugana DOP, elegant white wine from Lake Garda, made from a careful selection of 100% Trebbiano di Lugana grapes.

Lugana DOP is an appellation that straddles the Lombardy and Veneto border on the southern shore of Lake Garda. Grape-growing has had a presence in Lugana since the Bronze Age, but up until the rise of the Venetian Republic, the land was covered mostly in a marshy forest. When the Venetians cleared the land to increase grain and cereal production, they forever changed the landscape, these lands yielded very little compared to other fields around Garda, until the cultivation of the vine has taken its place and has been front and center.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the words of Father Giuseppe Lenotti in his “Cenni storici e statistici di Pozzolengo” illustrate perfectly the contemporary landscape in Lugana: “the ancient Selva Lugana is now a fertile plain almost exclusively cultivated with vines; it produces a white wine of excellent quality and that is highly valued, even in the marketplace”.

The reference grape is Trebbiano di Lugana, also known as Turbiana grape.

The soils are a unique composition of clays that give to the wine an unmistakable mark.

Franzosi winery, in the first half of the twentieth century, when grandfather Giovanni decided to found this agricultural reality in the heart of Puegnago del Garda, produced only red wines, appreciated and affirmed on the tables of consumers of the whole Valtènesi (see please: “Cantine Franzosi 2.0: the union between innovation and tradition”).

Lugana DOP

Over time the company has passed into the hands of his son Bruno up to the three nephews Paola, Giovanni and Luigi who have expanded the range of wines produced, producing and selling white wines, following the new market trends.

Thanks to the strong tourism that has characterized Lake Garda for many years, Lugana DOP, produced by our wineries, has begun to be known and appreciated not only in its territory of origin, but even abroad.

How the Lugana DOP is made

Lugana Dop is obtained from a careful selection of 100% Trebbiano di Lugana grapes cultivated between the municipalities of Desenzano, Sirmione, Pozzolengo, Lonato del Garda and Peschiera del Garda, as required by the Disciplinary of the production of wines with controlled designation Lugana.

The Lugana Doc is one of the oldest in Italy, dating back to 1967, while the Consorzio Tutela was founded in 1990 to promote the Lugana brand, protecting members and consumers in Italy and in the world.

The clay soils, of moraine origin and of sedimentary nature, mainly calcareous, rich in mineral salts, give to the wine strong, clear aromas, between almond and citrus, as well as acidity, flavor and a well-balanced structure.

The microclimate, positively influenced by the temperate breezes of Lake Garda, is mild and fairly constant, with few temperature variations between day and night. An ideal and perfect cradle to enhance the peculiarities of a particular grape: the Turbiana.

The grapes, when ripe, are harvested by hand, around the middle of September until October, destemmed and softly pressed, separating the must from the skins and vinified in white.

Fermentation at controlled temperature and maturation on the lees in stainless steel tanks.

Features

Straw-yellow color with greenish reflections, Lugana Dop is a product rich in floral aromas with a fresh taste, pleasantly citrusy and persistent.

Pairings

Thanks to its soft and delicate taste, Lugana DOP according to tradition is particularly indicated with Lake fish, Garda eel, baked carp, but also with sea fish and shellfish.

Tip: Serve at 8°-10°C.

Lugana Dop is a wine that is appreciated by both younger wine lovers and expert for its unique characteristics.

The taste can be more or less structured depending on the age of the vines and the vinification methods (late harvest, Superiore Riserva, Spumante). This can be excellent as an aperitif and for the whole meal.

Four different versions of Lugana

We offer four versions of Lugana produced by our winery:

  • Lugana Spumante Metodo Classico, Champenoise, (refining in the bottle), refined and complex, with an elegant bouquet and a fine and persistent perlage;
  • Lugana produced with the youngest vines, floral and fruity;
  • Lugana Selezione Oro, obtained from a selection of the best bunches of the oldest vines;
  • Lugana Selezione Bruno Franzosi, aged in barrique, with more golden reflections, full aromas, with hints of ripe apple, ripe citrus , combined with hints of spice, the palate, of greater structure, is supported by a lively and tonic acidity, mineral, elegant and persistent… (see https://cantinefranzosi.it/en/lugana-selezione-bruno-franzosi-limited-edition/)

All our versions are to be discovered and tasted.

We would like to close with a quote by Luigi Veronelli, a deep lover of this wine with unique characteristics:

“Drink your Lugana young, very young and you will enjoy its freshness. Drink it aged two or three years and you will enjoy its fullness. Drink it after ten years of ageing and you will be amazed by its composed authority. Lugana wines have an extraordinary ability to stand out, something that is rare in wines. If you taste a Lugana wine, and you’re a good taster, you’ll never forget it.”

To book a tasting at our winery and discover our Lugana wines please, Click Here.

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