Tradition and modernity is not a cliché at Tenuta Roveglia. What was the Swiss entrepreneur Federico Zweifel’s ground-breaking feat at the end of the nineteenth century, is today one of the most meticulous and quality wineries of the small Lugana denomination. An area that, with its strong Lake Garda currents, the almost Mediterranean climate and splendid soils, finally expresses one of the most monumental and long-lived white wines in Italy.
In the heart of the most classic Lugana areas, on the Lombard side of the denomination, with its calcareous-clayey soils, the Roveglia style stands out: that is, a Lugana which is territorial, therefore vertical and savoury, but also solid and structured, with hints of softness and sunshine. The winery’s vineyards grow on these soils, almost all of them around the property, organically.
In the cellar, modern winemaking techniques produce clean and straight-forward products. Obviously, the Luganas stand out, from the Limne, fresh and snappy, of precise and clear sapidity, to the Filo di Arianna, from late-harvested grapes, enveloping and mineral with its typical almond finish, which stays for over a year in large barrels.
But the real benchmark is the Vigne di Catullo, dedicated to the Latin poet, which is still the scene-stealer of lovers of the classic in Sirmione. A Lugana of great character, intense yellow colour with golden reflections, robust and at the same time velvety. The grapes are carefully selected from over-55-year-old vineyards and the wine is aged for a year in steel only, which gives it the prestigious name of Riserva.
It has a particularly rich bouquet, in which the colder and more mineral notes harmonise with those of ripe fruit: grapefruit responds to flint, lime honey to the vegetable note. Sapid, elegant and persistent, its complex retro-olfactory aroma, with hints of hazelnut and an elegant almond aftertaste, suggests its pairing not only with fish, but also with pasta dishes, grilled meat, risottos and cheeses.
