Franco Bengasi and Marco Melzi of Wine Emporium, wine importers and distributors located in Brooklyn, opened a bottle of white wine from Perla Del Garda Winery for me to try. When I told them how much I liked it, they suggested I stop by and visit the winery owner, Giovanna Prandini , who was attending the James Suckling Italian Wine event in NYC
Michele and I enjoyed the rest of the wine called Lugana Superiore DOP “Madonna Della Scoperta” that night with dinner and Michele liked it so much she said I should buy some for us to drink at home.
The next day I visited Giovanna to taste her other wines and learn more about the winery. Giovanna, along with her brother Ettore, founded the Perla Del Garda winery in 2006. There are about 35 hectares of vineyards just south of Lake Garda, between Desenzano and Sirmione. Perla Del Garda has been organic since 2013. A vineyard of about 8 hectares has been organically farmed since 2013 and with the 2016 vintage they produced their first wine called BIO, made with certified grapes of the Turbiana variety. They were the first winery in Garda to receive sustainability certification. Since the vineyards surround the winery, the maximum distance between the vines and the vinification is 1,000 meters. It is a gravity flow winery.
Lugana DOP “Perla” (in magnum) made from 100% Turbiana grown organically from the hills of Lonato dei Garda at 150 to 250 meters. The soil is calcareous clay of morainic origin and the vines are 20 years old. The vineyards are at 150 to 250 meters and the training system is guyot. Harvest is by hand in late August and early September. There is a thermal conditioning of the grapes at 10 C and then a careful selection of the grapes followed by a soft pressing. Fermentation is in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks at 15C for 8 to 10 days. Aging is in stainless steel tanks. The wine has hints of white flowers, lemon, peach, and pear with a touch of dry herbs and a note of almond. $28 for the 750 ml.
Lugana Superiore DOP “Madonna Della Scoperta” made from 100% Turbiana from the hills of Lonato dei Garda at 150 to 250 meters. The soil is calcareous clay of morainic origin and the vines are 20 years old. The vineyards are at 150 to 250 meters and the training system is guyot. Harvest is by hand in September. There is a thermal conditioning of the grapes at 10C and then a careful selection of the grapes followed by a soft pressing of whole grapes. Fermentation is in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks at 15C for 8 to 10 days. Aging is in stainless steel tanks and in barrels. The wine has hints citrus fruit, green apples, peach, with a hint of white flowers and a touch of almond in the finish. $22
Garda Merlot DOP “Leonatus” made from 100% Merlot from the hills of Lonato dei Garda. Vineyards are at 150/250 meters and the training system is spurred cordon. Soil is calcareous clay of morainic origin. There are 5,000 vines per hectare and the age of the vines is 20 years. Harvest is by hand in September. There is a thermal conditioning of the grapes at 10C and then a careful selection of the grapes. Fermentation is in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks for 10 to 15 days. Aging takes place in oak barrels.The wine has hints of blackberry, black cherry and plum with earthy notes and a touch of dried herbs. $22
Lugana wines come from an area that is on the border between the two provinces of Brescia and Verona. The DOC region stretches along an area south of Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy. The word Lugana may come from the early medieval word “lucus” meaning wood. In the past the area was covered by the Selva Lucana, a dense, marshy forest. Today the area is characterized by a very particular soil. The soil is white clay and limestone and difficult to till. This, however, gives the grapes here an extraordinary elegance and tanginess.D
Lugana wine can be described as being fresh with body and a good balance between sweetness and acidity. Lugana is made from the Turbiana grape, aka Trebbiano di Lugana, and may be related to Verdicchio. There are 5 different styles of Lugana from sparkling to late harvest. Lugana goes best with white meats or fish.