If you ever find yourself in northern Italy, you need to visit Lugana in Lake Garda and try the local wine featuring the indigenous white grape variety Turbiana. I had the pleasure of joining a Consorzio Tutela Lugana D.O.C. press trip and visiting a variety of amazing wineries. Here’s the list to save for later.
Selva Capuzza Winery | Lugana, Italy
Selva Capuzza is a family-run estate producing wines in three distinct DOC appellations—Lugana, San Martino della Battaglia, and Garda Classico. They are dedicated to producing wines exclusively from six indigenous grape varieties, like Turbiana. The farm is located in a beautiful hilly area of Lake Garda and includes an attached restaurant, 11 vacation rental apartments, and the 13th-century church of San Donino (the most ancient on Lake Garda).
It was the first winery visit of the trip and certainly a special one. We met Luca Formentini, who is the fourth-generation wine producer of the estate. He led us on a tour of the property and organized a Turbiana wine tasting for us. A musician at heart and a wine producer by trade, Luca prides himself on creating wines that are as pure as possible.
We tasted six of his wines, each showcasing a different winemaking style. My favorite part was trying an unlabeled Lugana Selva (considered a cru) 2018, which was about to be released into the market. We also tasted fresh-pressed grape juice from that morning.
Cà Maiol Winery |Lugana, Italy
Cà Maiol was founded in 1967 by Milanese entrepreneur Walter Contato, the year that Lugana DOC was formed on Lake Garda. The main building was constructed in 1710 and sits alongside a showroom and shop. In 2017, Santa Margherita purchased the brand, allowing them to invest in a state-of-the-art cellar and winemaking facility to make the process more efficient. A “wow” moment for me was seeing a three-story stainless steel tank that could hold 270,000 bottles. It was also interesting to learn that a single computer controlled every part of the winemaking process.
After the tour, we tasted four of their Turbiana Lugana wines—Metodo Classico sparkling wine 2019, Prestige 2023, Molin Superiore 2022, and Riserva 2020. The Molin, in particular, comes from 13 hectares where the vines are between 35–40 years old. They also have one hectare dedicated to studying vines, which they call their vine nursery.
After the tasting, we enjoyed fresh poke bowls with Lugana Metodo Classico and Prestige—both of which pair perfectly with seafood.
Agriturismo Feliciana | Lake Garda, Italy
This Lake Garda winery was founded in 1984 by the Sbruzzi brothers, Massimo and Giorgio. Following principles—respect for tradition and land—taught by their father, they converted the family farm into more than 27 hectares of vineyards (including Turbiana) and olive trees. Feliciana Winery is an agriturismo property and features an onsite restaurant and 21 hotel rooms that only use renewable energy.
We had the pleasure of dining with Massimo and XX at the restaurant and enjoyed a beautiful five-course meal. The evening kicked off with mountain cheese soufflé paired with Grifo Lugana Spumante Charmat Brut. The beef carpaccio with 24-month-old grana cheese tasted like heaven with their Felugan Lugana DOC 2023. The creamy risotto dish was beautifully matched with Prestigioso Lugana DOC 2023. Serce Lugana Riserva DOC 2021 was named after Massimo’s parents (a combination of both names) and was delightfully paired with pork fillet. The finale was a crispy fruit wafer and cream with Chimera Spumante Metodo Classico.
Instead of an espresso nightcap, Massimo conned us into tasting their Grappa, which I hadn’t tried since 2011 when I last visited Italy. Back then I was in college and just wanted a high-alcohol drink to get drunk fast lol.
Zeni Winery | Lugana, Italy
To me, Zeni Winery is a pillar of quality winemaking and a testament to inclusive wine education. The Zeni family has been making wine for more than 150 years and wants to share the beauty of wine with the world. Fifth-generation owner Federica Zeni, a colorful and funny woman, met with us and gave background on her family history including her father’s passion to open a wine museum. In 1991, the wine museum became a reality and not only allowed people to learn about the winemaking process but also gave visitors a flight of wine samples for free.
In 2007, they opened an amazing wine cellar that features a gorgeous event space as well as an olfactory gallery (which opened in 2017). The olfactory gallery prompts visitors to blind-smell fragrances that are related to the featured wines. It is such a well-done and unique concept that gamifies wine tasting. Our press group tried it out and we all performed pretty poorly, to be honest.
Federica and her brother/winemaker Fausto treated us to a memorable tasting. We started with Lugana Vigne Alte DOC 2023, which comes from younger vines and is fresh and lively. Then, we tasted through a vertical lineup of the 2023, 2013, and 2010 Lugana Marogne DOC. Marogne is a highly selected production combining low yield per hectare with specific vinification techniques. Because Turbiana Lugana wines are just now being saved for aging purposes, you don’t find many in winery libraries. It was such a pleasure to be able to try the 2013 and 2010. The 2013 actually tasted like it had more age on it—it was dark yellow with notes of salty pretzel, flint, and complex ripe tropical and yellow fruit, with a nice creaminess to it. The 2010 was a gem (Fausto said it was a very good vintage)! It still tasted very fresh and full of fruit, so it could age for many years to come.
Sansonina Winery | Lugana, Italy
Sansonina is named after the 18th-century farmhouse near Sirmione, which derives from Samson. It belonged to a woman who owned the estate centuries ago and was nicknamed “Little Samson” for her strong character. Like that strong woman, Sansonina is owned by Carla Prospero, who acquired the property in the mid-190s with the goal of creating excellent wines by a woman-run winery.
The gorgeous winery was finished a few years ago and perfectly pairs tradition with new. An architectural marvel, we took a tour of the facility and enjoyed the lunch to remember for ages. We tried their Lugana DOC 2022 and the 2021 spontaneous fermentation, alongside a spread of charcuterie, buffalo mozzarella with anchovies, truffle ravioli, and a fig tart .
Agriturismo Pratello | Lugana, Italy
Pratello Farm’s story goes back to the late 1800s, when Vincenzo Bertola turned a growing area into something special with his love for the land and family. In 1967, the farm passed to the next generation—Uncle Bortolo and Grandpa Dante, with wife Caterina—who continued the tradition. Today, Vincenzo and Cristina are carrying the torch, blending their heritage with a modern vision. They honor the past while staying forward-thinking, trusting the future of Pratello in the hands of their kids, Naike and Nathan. It’s a family tradition with roots that run deep and eyes set on the future.
We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Pratello all cooked by Cristina and hosted by Naike. The evening kicked off with a tour of the cellars and then we all sat around a beautifully decorated round table with more food than we could ever ask for (most of it locally sourced and grown on the farm). The wine lineup included Bollé Lugana Brut, Lugana DOC, their 90+10 from 2022 (these have 10% Chardonnay), and I believe the same from 2017 (I’m missing some notes from the last dinner).
If you ever plan a trip, Pratello Farm has hotel rooms, a restaurant, and a brand-new spa. They put so much love into the space and it shows. brand-new
Agriturismo Almavite | Lugana, Italy
Completely renovated, Almavite is on Lake Garda and surrounded by nature among Lugana vineyards and moraine hills. The property features nine hotel rooms, a restaurant, a swimming pool with a large garden, and a wine cellar. The project focuses on tradition, innovation, and integration. One of the interesting things about this winery is that it works with an addiction program to hire help throughout its property.
Even though our outdoor picnic was ruined by rain, we were able to taste Turbiana inside the restaurant cozily. We tried their Spumante Brut Kames 2020, Lugana DOC 2023, Inlegno 2022, and Inanfora 2022. Each wine was unique and paired beautifully with the spread. We enjoyed slow-cooked egg with pecorino cheese fondue, crispy bacon, and fava beans; mezza Mancini pasta with tomatoes; Iberian pork with coffee powder and soy-marinated glaze with peach; and a custard strawberry tart. It was absolutely heavenly.
