The days that we spend traveling through some of the most gorgeous and delicious places on Earth are our favorite days of the year, and the best part of those days is…YOU. We want to stay connected to the friends we’ve made on those journeys, and to keep you connected to the people, places, and wines that have brought us together. We are also excited about making new friendships, and are looking forward to lots of fun journeys ahead. Read on and join us!
Vintner Varietals: Winemakers We Love
For three generations, the Zenato family has been tending the glacial soil of the Lugana wine region, between the southern banks of Lake Garda and nearby Frassino Lake. Like their father and grandfather, the Zenato brothers, Fabio and Paolo, consider themselves stewards of the land as much as winemakers, weighing the effects of each aspect of their wine production on the local ecosystem. The name of their winery, Le Morette, is a reference to the small, diving, tufted duck that visits Lake Frassino each year, nesting on the Zenato property. In part to protect this duck’s habitat, the winery is fastidious in their ecological caretaking of their more than 50 hectares of vineyards. The brothers chose the duck as their name and symbol to represent their bond to and respect for the land.
Their commitment to sustainability shows in every facet of their production. Their grapes— specifically the hyper-local white grape, Turbiana, used for wine bearing the Lugana DOC, and the classic red grapes Bardolino, Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara— are grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. They cultivate native crop covers between rows to attract pollinators (including bees from the hives on the property, the source of Le Morette honey.) The soils of the vineyards are regularly studied and adapted to maintain the optimal nutrition for the vines, and they selectively utilize drip irrigation only in times of absolute need, which cuts their water usage.
The winery is powered by massive, roof-top solar panels. Meanwhile, all wine production is done eight meters underground, leveraging the cooling properties of the soil, and aging is completed in brick vaults, which naturally ensure controlled temperature and humidity. Sustainability is the beating heart of the Le Morette mission. In their own words: “We are constantly pursuing the balance between the land and the environment to foster and preserve the natural cycles of the vineyard’s ecosystem, which are essential to obtaining authentic products that are a true reflection of the local territory.”
Fabio, in particular, has leaned into the science behind the vines, earning a Masters in Viticulture, researching vine DNA for his PhD, and continuing his research beyond his degree as an outside consultant. Because of his deep and specialized knowledge, he was invited to be a member of the DOC selection board to award certification to all the DOC wines produced in the area of Verona: Lugana, Chiaretto, Valpolicella, Amarone, Ripasso, Soave. He is the president of the Consortium Tutela Lugana DOC and the unofficial PR guy for the Turbiana grape, the unique Lugana varietal that is genetically distinct from Trebbiano grapes grown elsewhere around the globe. He is passionate about the Turbiana grape and Lugana wine, noting that the unique genetic characteristics of Turbiana in concert with the clay-rich Lugana soil is what creates the distinctive sapidity and minerality of Lugana wine. A rich texture and taut balance between green and fruity notes distinguish wines made with Turbiana from its genetic cousins, Verdicchio and Trebbiano Soave, and make Lugana an extremely versatile choice for pairings.
Our visit to the Le Morette winery on our Italy tour is memorable for the spectacular scenery, the phenomenal wines, the delicious lunch, and most of all, for the time we get to spend with Fabio learning about Lugana—the wine and the place—and the ecosystem he so reveres.
Cultural Terroir: Places We Love
Lake Garda
We see more than our fair share of spectacular locations in our work with wine producers around the world, but Lake Garda in northern Italy, between Verona and Milan, is truly one of the most beautiful. The lake, Italy’s largest at about 143 square miles, was formed by a glacier millions of years ago, and its shores have been inhabited since prehistoric times, as evidenced by the UNESCO-recognized site of Bronze Age-era pile dwelling (stilt house) remnants on the southern coast. Lake Garda’s rich history can be found in Roman ruins and Medieval and Gothic architecture throughout the picturesque towns along its shores. From manmade sights to natural splendor, the lake offers an abundance of opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and sheer awe.
While Lake Como gets more tourist attention, Lake Garda is likewise dotted with elegant resorts and Michelin-starred restaurants. The northern coast, against the backdrop of the Alps, enjoys strong winds that encourage windsurfing and sailing. The towns along this coast have a more Alpine feel and incredible mountain views. On the northeastern coast is Malcesine, a medieval village anchored by a 13th-century castle, built on Roman foundations. Across the lake, on the northwestern coast, is Limone sul Garda, one of the prettiest towns of the entire coastline, known for its flowers and citrus and olive groves and buildings painted a rainbow of colors. Also admired for its colorful architecture and greenery, Riva del Garda, at the northern tip of the lake, is a lively harbour town that dates back to Roman times and is now full of cafés and boutiques.
The southern coast of Lake Garda has a more Mediterranean climate, and boasts sunny beaches and too many gorgeous towns to list here. Just to name a few: Bardolino, known for its wine and olive oil, is also rich in history and culture; you can find vestiges of 12th-century citadel walls as well as churches from that era housing extraordinary frescoes. The old town center is bustling with cafés, bars, and shops. The nearby city of Garda is a thriving tourist destination on the lake, and with good reason. It boasts historical architecture and Roman ruins, a lovely lakeside promenade, numerous villas and palaces, and one of the most beautiful beaches on the Lake Garda coast. Lazise, one of Lake Garda’s smaller villages, is surrounded by the Scalinger Walls, named after the noble Della Scala family, lords of Verona, who ruled on the eastern shore of the lake during the 14th century. Inside the walls is the picture-perfect city center, notable for its magnificent, centuries-old churches. Lazise also claims some of the lake’s very few sandy beaches. On a peninsula centered on the southern lakeshore, the village of Sirmione is particularly spectacular. It is home to natural thermal springs, Roman ruins, and the most complete of the lake’s four Scaligeri castles. This is the quintessential Italian town, with cobbled streets and bougainvillea-draped balconies, surrounded by pretty pebbly beaches— the perfect place to enjoy a glass of Lugana from nearby Le Morette.
Thanks to the lake’s large size, the body of water acts as a thermal regulator, modulating the temperatures around its shores, keeping the summers mild and preventing early autumn frosts. These temperate conditions, combined with the winds blowing off the lake, the lake’s effect on regulating rainfall, and the mineral-rich, limestone soil of the region, make for ideal grape-growing conditions. Winemaking has been practiced in the area since the Bronze Age, and some of Italy’s most distinctive wines come from the DOC subregions around the lake, including: Lugana DOC, discussed above, which produces white wines primarily from the Turbiana grape; Garda DOC, which is a larger appellation comprised of 10 historically prominent wine designations, including Lugana, Valpolicella, Bardolino and Soave; and Bardolino DOC, a well-established region producing light and fresh reds made mostly from Corvina and Rondinella grapes.
We could spend an entire tour just visiting and sipping our way around Lake Garda’s shores. We get a wonderful introduction to the area on our Northern Italy tour, and we hope it wets your whistle to come back and explore all the lake has to offer.
Wine Key: Insights We Love
Tips of What to Look for When Selecting Your Next Wine
In this newsletter, we’ve mentioned Italian DOC wines and regions several times, and in case you are not familiar with this designation, we’ll give you a brief primer. Like in France, Italy has an official government-run classification system for their wines. Essentially, they use a qualitative hierarchy of three basic tiers with increasingly strict controls at each level:
- VdT – Vino da Tavola / Table Wine
- IGP – Indicazione Geografica Protetta / Protected Geographic Indication
- DOP – Denominazione d’Origine Protetta / Protected Designation of Origin (further divided into DOC & DOCG)
The rationale for the system is to give consumers an easy way of identifying the general quality of a wine before purchase, and to give producers recognition for adhering to certain standards. Of course, there can be wines of exceptional quality that fall outside of a category’s regulations and so are not designated DOC or DOCG, as with blended Super Tuscans, but in general, the labeling system can be a helpful guide.
Vino da Tavola, or VdT, is the tier with the loosest regulations. These wines have no geographic restrictions, and the grapes—which can be any variety—can be grown anywhere in Italy. These wines tend to be made at high volume, and are generally, though not always, of a lower quality.
Indicazione Geografica Protetta, or IGP, is the broadest category of Italian wines. These wines cover the spectrum in terms of quality, cost, and style. They must come from the region given on the label, but other than that, winemakers are free to use any grape varietals and must meet far less rigorous standards for winemaking techniques. Winemakers whose methods fall outside of the strict traditional stipulations for DOP classification can offer extremely high quality wines under this label. Wines labeled IGP are worth a bit more research if you want to be sure what you’re getting.
Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or DOC, wines must meet high standards based on geographical area, including strictures on farming and winemaking methods and allowable grape varietals, and undergo analysis and taste-testing by a government-approved panel. There are more than 330 DOC wines, meaning this category carries the bulk of quality Italian wines.
Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, or DOCG, is the category with the strictest stipulations. Though regulations can vary by region, they generally include standards for grape varieties, minimum and maximum vineyard altitudes, minimum and maximum yields, grape ripeness levels, winemaking techniques, and length of ageing. Like DOC wines, all wines labelled DOCG are submitted for analysis and tasting by a regulation board, and are required to have a uniquely numbered label on the neck of the bottle: pink for red wines and green for white wines. There are fewer than 80 wines that carry the DOCG designation.
On our travels through Italy, we’ve tasted wine across the classifications, and though our absolute favorites are in the DOC and DOCG categories, we do like to keep the following in mind: While understanding the labeling can be helpful when you’re choosing what bottles you want to spend your money on, ultimately, what’s on the label doesn’t determine whether you like what’s in the glass.
Pairings: Recipes We Love
This recipe is similar to fish dishes we’ve had during our time in Italy, particularly around Lake Garda. There, it may be made with the lake’s pike or turbot, but you can use most any fish you like. Simple and elegant, this dish begs to be eaten al fresco, ideally on an Italian coastline, sipping Le Morette’s Chiaretto rosé.
Oven-baked Fish With Fennel, Tomatoes, and Olives
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ pounds fish fillet, skin on or off as per your preference
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and finely sliced, as on a mandoline, a handful of fronds reserved
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 ounces Castelvetrano olives, pitted and halved
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 large lemon, ends trimmed, finely sliced
- Toasted bread, for serving
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Pat the fish dry and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
- Pour the olive oil into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and add the chopped garlic. Place in the heated oven for 5 minutes, until the garlic is sizzling slightly.
- Remove the dish from the oven and add the sliced fennel, tomatoes, olives, and 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt. Being careful of the hot dish, toss until evenly coated. Pour the wine over the vegetables.
- Nestle the fish into the vegetables and spoon some of the liquid all over the fillet. Arrange the lemon slices over the fish and sprinkle with the reserved fennel fronds. Return the dish to the oven and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
- Serve with lots of crusty bread to soak up the broth.
ENJOY!
New Growth: Joy Of Wine News We Love
Falling in Love with Italy
This past month, Adam and I attended Vinitaly, the huge wine and spirits trade show located in Verona, Italy. This event brings together wine professionals from all over the world. While there, we also had the opportunity to celebrate Le Morette winery at a fabulous party along with their international importers and top customers. We are so proud to be in that number, bringing their delicious wines to the U.S. market!
Adam & I will depart this week to begin our 2025 France tour season. While you may also be getting ready for your summer travel, it is the perfect time to plan a fall getaway—and autumn doesn’t get more beautiful than in Northern Italy!
Here are just a few of the many reasons why you should consider joining us this fall!
The fall foliage is a spectacular display of crimson and gold, and set against the backdrop of the Alps. Absolutely breathtaking!
The weather is perfect with temperatures in the 60’s, and the food and wine scenes are at their peak. It’s grape-harvesting time in the vineyards, and the winemakers and villages are buzzing with the energy of the harvest (I swear you can smell wine in the air).
It also happens to be truffle season; on our tour, you have the chance to go white truffle hunting with a local forager. Truffles appear on menus everywhere, and whole festivals are devoted to them. There are fewer crowds and a slower pace—you can really take the time to engage with this incredible part of the country. So, why not?
