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# 85 NOVEMBER 21 , 2016
# 85 November 21 2016
The wines produced in this area consist
of: regular “basic” level (comprises 90%
of the wine in this area), superiore (1 year
of aging), riserva (2 years of aging), late
harvest “vendemmia tardiva” and spumante.
white wines, have an extraordinary capacity to be recognized. You taste a Lugana
and, if you are a good taster, you cannot
forget it. A great painter is recognizable,
and so is a musician: every time, with a
work, you feel it’s his.”
I tasted through 19 white wines of Lugana and my top picks were the following:
2015 Silenzi di Terra Lugana
2015 Bertagna Lugana 2015 Cobue Lugana Montelupo
2015 Malavasi Lugana
2015 Olivini Lugana
2015 Pasini San Giovanni Lugana Il Lugana
2015 Lenoti Lugana Decus
2015 One Pio Lugana
2015 Selva Capuzza Lugana Selva
Lugana wines are best paired with typical
foods of the region including a variety of
freshwater fish and fish from the sea. In
Lugana it's common to see it paired with
eel, coregone and trout. The more complex forms of Lugana, like the superiore
and riserva, are able to be paired with
more complex, richer fish dishes and
sauces. Spumante can be paired a number of ways, but is enjoyable with some
antipasti and salumi.
Not having much experience with tasting
wines from Lugana prior to this tasting,
my take away is that these dry wines
are beautifully refreshing, clean, aromatic with citrus and minerality along with
nice structure and acidity. Obviously this
varies from wine to wine and the ones
I preferred had a stronger presence of
fruit on the palate, but I enjoyed the balance on many of the ones I tasted.
Luigi Veronelli, Italy's wine critic, was
quoted on the consortium's site stating
his opinion of Lugana “Drink your Lugana when is very young, you will enjoy its
freshness. Drink you Lugana after two or
three years and you will enjoy its completeness. Drink it after ten years and you
will be amazed by its composed authoritativeness. Lugana wines, rare quality for
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