The last two weeks (On 9th and 16th, June 2020) I followed #winestudio tweets. Hereby is a tweeting compilation.

In a nut shell: “The Lugana DOC distinctive clay soils store the organoleptic heritage of the appellation itself & is reflected in the Turbiana grape: acidity and tanginess & the distinctive notes of almond & citrus that have become signature scent markers.” (by @winestudioTina)

They are wonderful wines for great value and easy to pronounce.

The white, refined lakeshore native known as Lugana has an illustrious pedigree which traces back to the Roman Empire.

Grape vines have been growing in the Lugana area for centuries, at least since the Bronze Age. This is proven by the famous Vitis Silvestris grape seeds found around the pile dwellings of Peschiera del Garda.

Lugana’s geography has shaped the region’s soils. They are morainic, a result of the glacier that used to occupy this area and retreated. They are also calcareous clay and contain lots of mineral salts and sand in some areas.

The Lugana doc can be divided into two zones. One with firmer clay soils, fairly flat that stretches along the lake, including Desenzano, Sirmione, parts of Pozzolengo, and Peschiera. These wines are a more mineral style of Lugana.

The second zone stretches from the Tower of San Martino della Battaglia in two different directions: towards Pozzolengo and towards Lonato. Here the clays are sandier; the hills are more undulating and gentle, with altitudes of no more than 130 meters asl

The soils within the Lugana DOC zone are primarily hard clays and are extremely mineral rich. The Lake Garda moderated climate encourages a long ripening season.

The soils contain stratified layers of clay and farther inland more gravel and sand. The soils become incredibly hard to till when dry but also retain water, enabling the vines to grow.

In the second area, the soils are more morainic (especially towards Lonato), with a considerable presence of gravel; the wines have fewer mineral notes and have more acid and volume.

The term climate cradle describes the unique microclimate of the lake. The climate is very mild and pretty constant for much of the year in the Lugana area thanks to the lake and its mitigating influences.

The impact of the wind on the grapes: Lake Garda has very constant breezes that blow across the lake during the day at specific times. This helps keep the grapes healthy and free from pests.

Lake Garda is Italy’s largest lake and one of the deepest in the world. It is also Europe’s second largest lake. That says a lot for the longevity and taste profiles of LuganaDOC wines

Sirmione is one of the areas of production for #Lugana in Lombardy.

While almost unknown outside Italy, Lugana maintains a level of renown for its highly concentrated, richly textured, mineral driven, fruity, white wines that also have the potential to age and evolve.

Ripe fruit profile and medium+ body. If I were tasting blind I’d be tempted to place it in Alsace or maybe even the new world. Acidity is high but this wine is tricky.

Turbiana, an Italian white grape that has good acidity, salinity, lovely almond, citrus, white peach & white flowers, with aging has a wider range of expressions, land acquires spices, ginger, dried fruits.

“Turbiana grape of Lugana is quite sensitive to downy mildew, which can be considered the main antagonist in the area.” (Andrea Bottarel, Lugana DOC Consorzio Director)

Characteristics of the grape that translate to the wine: good acid, minerality, and richness.

Less high-yielding than most of the other Trebbianos of Italy, Turbiana is a grape that has a medium-sized, compact bunch, with a long, pyramidal shape. Turbiana grape is thick-skinned, so late ripening.

The 5 styles of Lugana wines are: the basic Lugana (90% of wines fall in this range), Superiore (1 yr+ aging), Riserva (2+ yrs aging, 6 mos in bottle), Vendemmia Tardiva (late harvest), and Spumante (sparkling).

Late harvest and sparklers are very limited production.

So cool that more than 120 producers of Lugana craft five styles of one grape!

Yes, the styles are very different as are each producer from one another, showing the its terroir and versatility of the grape.

“Vineyards closer to the lake tend to produce slightly sharper wines with a more distinctive salinity, and the ones closer to the lower and sandier hillside, will tend to produce slightly bolder whites, sometimes with bolder fruit.” Said Andrea Bottarel, Consorzio Tutela Lugana DOC Director

Colli Vaibo Lugana DOC 2018 13% ABV – impressions – light straw color; nose of apple, pear, fresh white flowers; palate of Bosq pear, green apple, crushed oyster shell – a delightful experience of minerality & autumnal fruit .

Lots of minerality, salinity, sapidity to these wines and this grape.

The Lugana DOC was awarded in 1967, the very first in Lombardy and one of the first in Italy.

DOC legislation was only instituted in Italy starting in 1963 so Lugana really was one of the first. In 1967, Lugana was one of the first wines in Italy to be awarded Denominazione di Origine Controllata (D.O.C.) status.

There are approximately 120 members of the Consorzio of Lugana winemakers producing wines, still and sparkling, dry to sweet.

The Conzorcio ‘ve been doing a lot of work in the USA for the last six years but they have been coming to the States for a while. I hope trade and consumers are catching on to the potential of this wine.

It’s hard to find whites wines that can work/pair with Cigars – Try this: The Il Gruccione (Lugana DOC)

The tweets here showcased hashtags: #winestudio #LuganaDOC #Lugana

Wine talk mediated (as far as I could see) by: @winestudioTina @VinoLuganaDoc @vignetocomm

Full program details: winestudiotina