{"id":10787,"date":"2016-11-02T05:00:22","date_gmt":"2016-11-02T09:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/?p=10787"},"modified":"2016-10-27T15:44:32","modified_gmt":"2016-10-27T19:44:32","slug":"luganas-revelatory-white-wines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/?p=10787","title":{"rendered":"Lugana\u2019s Revelatory White Wines"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"img_4041-copy\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For oenophiles, the discovery of a new wine can be a revelation\u2014and when that wine opens up an appreciation for an entire region, the rewards are manifold. Those who know\u00a0Lugana<\/a> in Northern Italy know that the region around Lake Garda is one of the most beautiful coastlines on the planet. The lake\u2019s beneficial microclimate and the region\u2019s white clay soil impart the signature qualities of Lugana\u2019s wines, notably the clean and distinctive notes of almond and citrus, its elegant body, and its potential for standing the test of time.<\/p>\n

\"\u00a9Lugana<\/a>

\u00a9Lugana D.O.C. Wine Consortium<\/p><\/div>\n

As a wine-growing region, Lugana<\/a> has an illustrious pedigree, with a viticultural heritage that dates to the Roman Empire. Grape seeds have been found within Bronze Age pile dwellings. Throughout the Renaissance, various authors and artists praised the pleasures of the \u201cexquisite Tribulani\u201d and \u201ca white wine of great quality and value.\u201d<\/p>\n

Celebrated today for its olive groves and wineries, vineyards and farm houses, Lugana<\/a> (derived from locus,<\/em> the Latin term for wood) was once a wild wetland that took centuries to clear. In 1967, Lugana became the first wine in Italy to earn a D.O.C., thereby recognizing the region\u2019s import for what has become the most exported native wine of Lombardy. Nearly 14 million bottles were produced for the latest vintage, 70% of which was exported.<\/p>\n

\"\u00a9MRNY\"<\/a>

\u00a9MRNY<\/p><\/div>\n

As part of Lugana DOC Wine Consortium<\/a>\u2019s recent month-long tour through five American cities, the consortium hosted a luncheon at Manhattan\u2019s il Buco Alimentari & Vineria<\/a> where nine producers of Lugana\u2019s bounty shared their recent vintages.<\/p>\n

The region\u2019s Turbiana grape produces a wine the color of freshly-cut hay, with a pale green tint\u2014at times, nearly translucent. A delicate bouquet of citrus, barely perceptible, mixes with notes of white flowers and almond. Lugana\u2019s freshness makes it a perfect complement to the region\u2019s maritime cuisine. From seafood antipasti<\/em> or crudo<\/em> to freshwater fish from the lake, river, or stream, the region\u2019s gastronomy is well-paired with these refined and versatile wines.<\/p>\n

\"Il<\/a>

Il Buco\u2019s menu featured miso-cured hamachi crudo with capers and trout roe. \u00a9MRNY<\/p><\/div>\n

Il Buco<\/a>\u2019s menu featured miso-cured hamachi crudo<\/em> with capers and trout roe, alongside shaved celery root with hazelnuts and pomegranate\u2014both of which paired nicely with C\u00e0 Maiol<\/a> Lugana 2015, an elegant pale lemon yellow wine with a citrus zest and flavors of brioche that complemented the nuttiness and acidity of the antipasti<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Equally alluring was Cesari Cento Filari<\/a> 2015, which opened with the intensity of fresh spring paper whites and juicy grapefruit. On the palate were notes of almond cake and a touch of lemongrass.<\/p>\n

\"\u00a9MRNY\"<\/a>

\u00a9MRNY<\/p><\/div>\n

Il Buco<\/a>\u2019s secondi<\/em> were risotto with foraged mushrooms and melted leeks served with wild striped bass dressed with Sicilian sea salt and thyme. As examples of the classic gastronomy of the region, these dishes were well-paired with Montonale Montunal<\/a> 2015 and Ottella Le Creete<\/a> 2015.<\/p>\n

As explained by Carlo Veronese<\/a>, Director of Lugana DOC, the white clay soil of Lugana gives its wines an unmistakable flavor\u2014and with increased elevation, that soil becomes sandier and more in touch with stone, which lends a flavor flecked with flint. Lugana\u2019s microclimate benefits from the lake breezes of Lake Garda and a minimal change of temperature between night and day.<\/p>\n

\"As<\/a>

\u00a0\u00a9MRNY<\/p><\/div>\n

The well-balanced smoothness of Montonale Montunal<\/a> 2015 was marked by an arresting amalgam of white flowers and peaches, with a velvety minerality like seawater sluicing over stone. Imagine this wine paired with a dozen freshly-harvested oysters.<\/p>\n

One of the afternoon\u2019s most fascinating discoveries was Ottella Le Creete<\/a> 2015, a subtle and dry wine nearly as clear as crystal in color with a bouquet of white blossoms and honeydew melon. Soft and fresh on the palate, the wine offered hints of pineapple with an invigorating minerality. A beautiful complement to the contorni<\/em> of crispy polenta and fingerling potatoes, this wine was a pleasure on the palate.<\/p>\n

As locals like to say, when you drink Lugana<\/a> young, you appreciate its freshness. Drink Lugana after three years and what you enjoy is the wine\u2019s full body. Hold Lugana wines for ten years and you\u2019ll be rewarded with a wine of increased elegance and dignity. In short, it\u2019s always a good time to drink Lugana.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For oenophiles, the discovery of a new wine can be a revelation\u2014and when that wine opens up an appreciation for an entire region, the rewards are manifold. Those who know\u00a0Lugana in Northern Italy know that the region around Lake Garda … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,8,2676],"tags":[2756,2753,2751,2752,2757,2748,2749,2750,2754,2755],"class_list":["post-10787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-dining","category-restaurant","category-wine-review","tag-carlo-veronese","tag-cesari-cento-filari","tag-il-buco","tag-il-buco-alimentari-vineria","tag-lake-garda","tag-lugana","tag-lugana-d-o-c","tag-lugana-doc","tag-montonale-montunal","tag-otella-le-creete"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/IMG_4041-copy.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p31sdB-2NZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10787"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10796,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10787\/revisions\/10796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}