The Land: Lugana
On the edge of Lake Garda, just a stone’s throw from the thermal spa town of Sirmione, are vines cultivated ever since Roman times, terroirs enriched by the presence of an ancient volcano, Monte Baldo, and by gentle hills carved out by the movement of a gigantic glacier. Trebbiano di Lugana, also known as Turbiana, is a native white grape variety that has been cultivated for centuries here in the Southern Garda area. Our morainic hills are the result of millions of years of erosion by a large glacier that compressed the morainic material and collected it at its base, leaving us this wonderful lake with a unique climate and land that, citing Goethe, is “where lemons bloom”.
It is known that the Lower Garda area was a frontier territory marked by powerful leaders, such as Attila the Hun, a land rich in medieval fortifications and castles, and the site of great independence battles, such as that of San Martino and Solferino. Precisely in the shadow of the impressive memorial Tower of San Martino, between Sirmione and Desenzano, are the vineyards of Cavaliere del Garda, on a particular, very clayey soil, which is the residue of the glacier that carved out Lake Garda.
From the Reticum that Catullus drank to our Lugana, there’s an immense history of men, land and vines.
The Land: Valtenesi
The land of Valtènesi, which breathes life into Groppello, the main grape variety that goes into the production of our CHIARETTO, is a territory that is very different from Lugana, though, in fact, they lie next to each other.
The rolling hills were formed during the ice ages, when the tongues of glaciers repeatedly pushed disintegrating material from the Alps towards the plain. Due to their position on the western flank of the glacier, the morainic soil is richer in stones, pebbles, and gravel. The soil is leaner than in Lugana, more gravelly and dry, where farmers have always cultivated vines and olive trees. Here in 1890, senator Pompeo Molmenti, with the help of French winemakers, refined his knowledge and vinification of native grapes. He was the first in Italy to codify the rosé production process, calling it “Chiaretto”. In 1967, Valtènesi was award with a Denomination of Controlled Origin (DOC).
