Lugana & Lake Garda

Lugana: Lake Garda's southern white - lemon, almond and a salty finish.

Made from Turbiana on clay soils at the lake's southern tip, straddling Lombardy and Veneto. Crisp and fresh, with more texture than most summer whites and a faint bitter-almond edge on the finish that locals look for. Mostly steel-made and best young.

Made from Turbiana on clay soils at the lake's southern tip, straddling Lombardy and Veneto. Crisp and fresh, with more texture than most summer whites and a faint bitter-almond edge on the finish that locals look for. Mostly steel-made and best young.

Bardolino: Lake Garda's light cherry-and-pepper red, best served slightly cool.

Mostly Corvina and Rondinella, the grapes of Valpolicella, but lighter: red cherry, raspberry, a pinch of pepper and a faint salty edge. Low in tannin and easy; drink it young and lightly chilled with salumi or lake fish.

Mostly Corvina and Rondinella, the grapes of Valpolicella, but lighter: red cherry, raspberry, a pinch of pepper and a faint salty edge. Low in tannin and easy; drink it young and lightly chilled with salumi or lake fish.

Grilled lake whitefish or perch with young Lugana.

Lugana's lemon and salty finish works like a squeeze of lemon on delicate lake fish, and there is no oak or tannin to fight it.

Lugana's lemon and salty finish works like a squeeze of lemon on delicate lake fish, and there is no oak or tannin to fight it.

Lugana Spumante: the lake's own bottle-fermented fizz - an easy celebration pick.

Lugana has made sparkling wine for decades, both tank-made and bottle-fermented. The bottle-fermented (Metodo Classico) versions keep Turbiana's lemon and almond and add a creamy, biscuity edge. Good as an aperitivo or all the way through a lake-fish meal.

Lugana has made sparkling wine for decades, both tank-made and bottle-fermented. The bottle-fermented (Metodo Classico) versions keep Turbiana's lemon and almond and add a creamy, biscuity edge. Good as an aperitivo or all the way through a lake-fish meal.

Local fizz: a bottle-fermented Lugana instead of Champagne.

The lake's own celebration bottle: lemony, creamy and made from Turbiana. Small houses make it in modest quantities, so buy it when you see it.

The lake's own celebration bottle: lemony, creamy and made from Turbiana. Small houses make it in modest quantities, so buy it when you see it.

Off the beaten path: Marangona's concrete, skin-contact Cemento.

An organic Lugana with more grip and texture than the standard style - a talking-point white for friends who already know Lugana.

An organic Lugana with more grip and texture than the standard style - a talking-point white for friends who already know Lugana.

Valtènesi: western-shore Chiaretto and Groppello red, delicate and herbal.

From the hills behind Moniga and Padenghe, the rosé is onion-skin to pale pink with tart cherry, rose petal and herbs. The local red grape is Groppello, a thin-skinned, peppery cousin of Gamay, bottled alone or blended with Marzemino, Sangiovese and Barbera.

From the hills behind Moniga and Padenghe, the rosé is onion-skin to pale pink with tart cherry, rose petal and herbs. The local red grape is Groppello, a thin-skinned, peppery cousin of Gamay, bottled alone or blended with Marzemino, Sangiovese and Barbera.

Glacier-left hills: heavy clay in Lugana, gravel and stone around Bardolino and Custoza.

The whole area is ice-age moraine. In Lugana the soil is dense, mineral clay, credited with the grape's acidity and savoury, salty bite. Bardolino and Custoza sit on gravelly, stony and sandy hills, which give lighter, fresher wines.

The whole area is ice-age moraine. In Lugana the soil is dense, mineral clay, credited with the grape's acidity and savoury, salty bite. Bardolino and Custoza sit on gravelly, stony and sandy hills, which give lighter, fresher wines.

On Lugana, Superiore and Riserva mean more age; Spumante means fizz.

Plain Lugana is the young, fresh wine. Superiore is held back and often has lees or a little oak for extra weight; Riserva is held longer still. Vendemmia Tardiva is a late-harvest wine with some sweetness, and Spumante is the sparkling version, tank-made or bottle-fermented.

Plain Lugana is the young, fresh wine. Superiore is held back and often has lees or a little oak for extra weight; Riserva is held longer still. Vendemmia Tardiva is a late-harvest wine with some sweetness, and Spumante is the sparkling version, tank-made or bottle-fermented.

Superiore and Riserva: Lugana with lees, oak and years - honey, smoke, depth.

Same grape, more weight. Superiore and Riserva are held back longer, often on the lees or in oak, and show honey, ripe orchard fruit, wild herbs and a smoky, balsamic edge. They keep ten years or more and suit richer fish dishes and white meat.

Same grape, more weight. Superiore and Riserva are held back longer, often on the lees or in oak, and show honey, ripe orchard fruit, wild herbs and a smoky, balsamic edge. They keep ten years or more and suit richer fish dishes and white meat.

Citari: Conchiglia is the racy unoaked wine; Torre is the top bottle.

Sorgente is the simple unoaked wine and Conchiglia is riper and livelier. Torre, the top wine, is partly aged in larger oak and includes late-picked grapes.

Sorgente is the simple unoaked wine and Conchiglia is riper and livelier. Torre, the top wine, is partly aged in larger oak and includes late-picked grapes.

Lugana Vendemmia Tardiva: late-picked grapes, rich but kept fresh by acidity.

Grapes stay on the vine to over-ripen and are then dried a little, giving a rich, honeyed white that is not a thick dessert wine. Closer in spirit to a German or Alsace late-harvest.

Grapes stay on the vine to over-ripen and are then dried a little, giving a rich, honeyed white that is not a thick dessert wine. Closer in spirit to a German or Alsace late-harvest.

Concrete and skin contact: a newer, more textured way to make Turbiana.

Marangona's Cemento is fermented and aged in concrete with a few days on the skins, and Ottella's Le Creete uses steel and concrete without oak. Expect more grip and a saltier, chalkier finish.

Marangona's Cemento is fermented and aged in concrete with a few days on the skins, and Ottella's Le Creete uses steel and concrete without oak. Expect more grip and a saltier, chalkier finish.

Gorgo: organic estate led by the Custoza consortium's president; San Michelin is the key white.

Roberta Bricolo runs the estate. Custoza San Michelin is chamomile, apricot and citrus with a salty finish, and the estate is developing an unoaked Riserva range.

Roberta Bricolo runs the estate. Custoza San Michelin is chamomile, apricot and citrus with a salty finish, and the estate is developing an unoaked Riserva range.

Le Fraghe: Matilde Poggi's organic, transparent Bardolino - the modern benchmark.

A family estate near Cavaion Veronese, farmed organically, with pale, fresh reds and rosés made without oak.

Le Fraghe is the benchmark for the modern, transparent style of Bardolino. Matilde Poggi, whose family has farmed near Cavaion Veronese since 1881, bottled her first vintage in 1984 and now farms organically in the vineyard and the cellar. Each grape variety is fermented separately in steel and cement with no oak, which gives pale, fresh, almost weightless reds. Brol Grande is the Bardolino Classico to buy as a red. Ròdon, the Chiaretto, is covered in the rosé entry below, and Traccia di Rosa is a directly pressed rosé. Poggi also heads the Italian federation of independent winegrowers, so this is a small-estate voice, not a volume brand. It is a good first stop for anyone who wants to see how light, serious Bardolino can be.

Cavalchina: the area's big, reliable house; Custoza Superiore Amedeo is the flagship.

A large estate in the Custoza hills that also makes Bardolino, so it works as a one-stop introduction to the east shore.

Cavalchina, in the Custoza hills near Sommacampagna, is one of the area's largest and most consistent houses, with a range across Custoza, Bardolino and Garda wines. Francesco Piona makes the wines. Custoza Superiore Amedeo is the flagship: a blend of Garganega, Trebbiano Toscano, Bianca Fernanda and Trebbianello, partly aged in barrique, showing citrus, orchard fruit, florals and a little spice with a structured, elegant finish. Piona is among the producers using Custoza Riserva as a place to experiment with longer ageing and oak. Cavalchina also bottles Bardolino, so one tasting covers white and red from the east shore. Buy Amedeo to see how a serious Custoza differs from the everyday glass.

Three Bardolino crus appear on labels: lakeshore La Rocca, northern Montebaldo, southern Sommacampagna.

Red Bardolino from a named sub-zone is the serious tier, with the sub-zone name printed large above the word Bardolino. Montebaldo is cooler and stonier, La Rocca sits on the lakefront, and Sommacampagna is the warmest and softest.

Bardolino's reputation was built on cheap, early-drinking red, and the sub-zones are the producers' answer. Each covers a different slice of the glacial hills. La Rocca runs along the lakefront around the town of Bardolino and gives balanced, traditional wines. Montebaldo lies to the north and east towards the Monte Baldo ridge, at the highest altitudes on heavier, stonier soils; it is the coolest part and makes the most distinctive, darker-fruited and longest-lived wines. Sommacampagna in the south-east is the warmest and wettest, with softer, slightly richer wine. The sub-zone name is used only on red and only when all the grapes come from that area. Names to try: Le Fraghe and Villa Cordevigo for Montebaldo, Poggio delle Grazie and Giovanna Tantini for La Rocca, Albino Piona for Sommacampagna.

Ca' dei Frati Brolettino: single-vineyard, barrique-aged Lugana Superiore.

The house's richer wine, aged in small oak but rarely dominated by it. Rich, creamy and nutty, with Turbiana's salty finish.

Brolettino is Ca' dei Frati's single-vineyard Lugana Superiore, fermented and aged in barriques. Oak is visible but rarely dominates: expect a rich, creamy white with ripe orchard fruit, nutty depth and Turbiana's salty finish. The house also makes I Frati, the unoaked everyday wine, and at times an unoaked I Frati Riserva, so you can compare styles within one cellar. The Dal Cero family has farmed here since 1939 and is among the largest vineyard owners in the appellation. Igino Dal Cero runs the winery and avoids malolactic fermentation to protect freshness, building richness through time on the lees instead. Brolettino is the safest celebration bottle in Lugana: good now with grilled lake fish or risotto, and rewarding several more years in the cellar.

Costaripa: Valtènesi's reference house, from RosaMara to the barrel-aged Molmenti.

A family winery in Moniga del Garda, with Mattia Vezzola shaping the style. Fresh rosés, a varietal Groppello red and Chardonnay-led sparkling wines.

Costaripa in Moniga del Garda is the reference house for Valtènesi. The Vezzola family began making wine in 1928, bought its first vineyards in Moniga in 1936 and made the first Chiaretto di Moniga in 1938. Mattia Vezzola, a grandson of the founder and a former head winemaker at Bellavista in Franciacorta, shapes the style: gentle pressing, precise work in the vineyard and long lees time. The range runs from RosaMara, a blend of Groppello, Marzemino, Sangiovese and Barbera with part aged in small oak, to Molmenti, a serious rosé from a very old vineyard that spends about two years in small wood and several more in bottle before release. Maim is a varietal Groppello red from old vines, a good test of the grape. The Classic M sparkling wines are Chardonnay-led and bottle-fermented.

A few producers treat rosé as a wine to age: barrel-aged Molmenti, deeper Chiar'otto.

Costaripa's Molmenti spends about two years in small wood and several in bottle. At Bardolino, Villa Calicantus keeps a darker rosé style alive. These are wines for food, served cool rather than cold.

A small group of lake producers treat rosé as a wine that can age. Costaripa's Molmenti comes from a very old vineyard, spends around two years in small used barrels and then several years in bottle before release, which turns a pale pink wine into something savoury, textured and dry. Part of the lighter RosaMara is also barrel-aged. At Bardolino the same instinct appears in deeper-coloured Chiaretti such as Villa Calicantus's Chiar'otto, which keep the older, darker style alive. These are wines for food rather than the pool: serve them cool, not cold, with grilled fish, white meat or aged cheese. Treat them as a different category from the pale everyday Chiaretto next to them on the shelf.

Marangona: organic Lugana, with a concrete, skin-contact Cemento.

Alessandro Cutolo farms organically in an appellation where few do. Cemento is fermented and aged in unglazed concrete with a few days on the skins; TreCampane is the old-vine flagship.

Marangona is the name to know for organic Lugana. Alessandro Cutolo farms organically in an appellation where very few estates do. The entry Lugana is a clean, salty Turbiana. The more interesting bottles use concrete. Cemento is fermented and aged in unglazed concrete with a few days on the skins and a long rest on fine lees, which gives a grippy, textured white with white peach, apricot, sage and a crushed-chalk finish. TreCampane, the flagship, comes from old vines picked on two dates and aged in concrete; it is made in very small quantities and built to last. This is the Lugana for people who find the standard style too polite. Taste Cemento beside a steel-made Lugana from the same year to see what skin contact and concrete add.

Le Fraghe: Matilde Poggi's organic, transparent Bardolino - the modern benchmark.

A family estate near Cavaion Veronese, farmed organically, with pale, fresh reds and rosés made without oak.

Le Fraghe is the benchmark for the modern, transparent style of Bardolino. Matilde Poggi, whose family has farmed near Cavaion Veronese since 1881, bottled her first vintage in 1984 and now farms organically in the vineyard and the cellar. Each grape variety is fermented separately in steel and cement with no oak, which gives pale, fresh, almost weightless reds. Brol Grande is the Bardolino Classico to buy as a red. Ròdon, the Chiaretto, is covered in the rosé entry below, and Traccia di Rosa is a directly pressed rosé. Poggi also heads the Italian federation of independent winegrowers, so this is a small-estate voice, not a volume brand. It is a good first stop for anyone who wants to see how light, serious Bardolino can be.

The lake softens heat and winter frost, so fruit ripens with fresh acidity.

Lake Garda keeps winters mild and stops summers scorching. Two daily winds, the Peler in the morning and the Ora from midday, dry the vineyards and cut rot, which suits thin-skinned grapes like Groppello.

Lake Garda keeps winters mild and stops summers scorching. Two daily winds, the Peler in the morning and the Ora from midday, dry the vineyards and cut rot, which suits thin-skinned grapes like Groppello.

In the glass: Ripe but fresh wines with lively acidity and light alcohol

Glacier-left hills: heavy clay in Lugana, gravel and stone around Bardolino and Custoza.

The whole area is ice-age moraine. In Lugana the soil is dense, mineral clay, credited with the grape's acidity and savoury, salty bite. Bardolino and Custoza sit on gravelly, stony and sandy hills, which give lighter, fresher wines.

The whole area is ice-age moraine. In Lugana the soil is dense, mineral clay, credited with the grape's acidity and savoury, salty bite. Bardolino and Custoza sit on gravelly, stony and sandy hills, which give lighter, fresher wines.

In the glass: Clay: texture and salty depth in Lugana. Gravel: lighter, fresher Bardolino and Custoza

Turbiana ripens late, with thick skins and high acidity, which is why Lugana can age.

DNA work links Turbiana closely to Verdicchio and sets it apart from Tuscany's Trebbiano. Late ripening, thick skins and high natural acidity explain its two faces: crisp and quick in steel, or broader and honeyed with lees and time.

Turbiana is often called Trebbiano di Lugana, and for years it was assumed to be a Trebbiano; DNA research showed it is closely related to Verdicchio from Marche and distinct from Trebbiano Toscano. It has compact bunches and thick skins, ripens late and keeps high natural acidity. Those traits explain Lugana's range. In steel it gives lemon, grapefruit, white flowers and a green almond bitterness on the finish. Given lees contact and sometimes oak, Superiore and Riserva add honey, stone fruit, a smoky or balsamic edge and a deeper salty streak. Good bottles stay lively for around ten years, which is not what the easy summer-white reputation suggests. The same variety is called Trebbiano di Soave in Soave, where it plays a supporting role.

In the glass: Lemon and green-almond freshness young; honey, smoke and salty depth with age

Most lake wines are fermented in steel and bottled young for freshness.

Plain Lugana, Custoza and Chiaretto are made in stainless steel from gently pressed fruit and released soon after harvest, so you taste the grape and the lake rather than oak.

Plain Lugana, Custoza and Chiaretto are made in stainless steel from gently pressed fruit and released soon after harvest, so you taste the grape and the lake rather than oak.

In the glass: Lemon, almond and strawberry fruit with crisp acidity

Time on the lees, and sometimes oak, gives Superiore and Riserva their weight.

Winemakers keep the wine on its fine lees for a long time and sometimes use barriques or larger oak. Light oak gives a creamy, nutty Lugana; heavy oak can flatten the lake's freshness.

Winemakers keep the wine on its fine lees for a long time and sometimes use barriques or larger oak. Light oak gives a creamy, nutty Lugana; heavy oak can flatten the lake's freshness.

In the glass: Creamier, nuttier, deeper; honey and smoke with age

Chiaretto gets its colour from a few hours on the grape skins.

Red grapes sit on their skins just long enough to tint the juice, then are pressed. In Valtènesi this is the 'wine of one night' tradition, and a shorter soak gives today's very pale pink.

Red grapes sit on their skins just long enough to tint the juice, then are pressed. In Valtènesi this is the 'wine of one night' tradition, and a shorter soak gives today's very pale pink.

In the glass: Pale pink colour, fresh red fruit, crisp acidity

A few producers treat rosé as a wine to age: barrel-aged Molmenti, deeper Chiar'otto.

Costaripa's Molmenti spends about two years in small wood and several in bottle. At Bardolino, Villa Calicantus keeps a darker rosé style alive. These are wines for food, served cool rather than cold.

A small group of lake producers treat rosé as a wine that can age. Costaripa's Molmenti comes from a very old vineyard, spends around two years in small used barrels and then several years in bottle before release, which turns a pale pink wine into something savoury, textured and dry. Part of the lighter RosaMara is also barrel-aged. At Bardolino the same instinct appears in deeper-coloured Chiaretti such as Villa Calicantus's Chiar'otto, which keep the older, darker style alive. These are wines for food rather than the pool: serve them cool, not cold, with grilled fish, white meat or aged cheese. Treat them as a different category from the pale everyday Chiaretto next to them on the shelf.

In the glass: Savoury, textured, dry rosé that develops in bottle

Concrete and skin contact: a newer, more textured way to make Turbiana.

Marangona's Cemento is fermented and aged in concrete with a few days on the skins, and Ottella's Le Creete uses steel and concrete without oak. Expect more grip and a saltier, chalkier finish.

Marangona's Cemento is fermented and aged in concrete with a few days on the skins, and Ottella's Le Creete uses steel and concrete without oak. Expect more grip and a saltier, chalkier finish.

In the glass: Texture and grip, white peach and sage, chalky finish

Lugana Vendemmia Tardiva: late-picked grapes, rich but kept fresh by acidity.

Grapes stay on the vine to over-ripen and are then dried a little, giving a rich, honeyed white that is not a thick dessert wine. Closer in spirit to a German or Alsace late-harvest.

Grapes stay on the vine to over-ripen and are then dried a little, giving a rich, honeyed white that is not a thick dessert wine. Closer in spirit to a German or Alsace late-harvest.

In the glass: Honey and ripe stone fruit with acidity balancing the sweetness