Ca Dei Frati Lugana I Frati

Pairs with: Grilled lake fish (like trout or perch), fresh sushi, raw oysters, herb-roasted chicken, or a rich pea and mint risotto

Good for: Introducing people to one of Italy’s most iconic, elegant white wines, or upgrading a sunny afternoon lunch into a true Mediterranean-style escape

Grape: 100% Turbiana (also locally known as Trebbiano di Lugana)

I am from: Lugana DOC, Lombardy, Italy

The Story: Established in 1939, Ca' dei Frati ("the house of the friars," a nod to the property's monastic past) is the absolute benchmark producer of the Lugana region. Led by the multi-generational Dal Cero family, they single-handedly put this tiny appellation on the global fine-wine map. Their vines are planted on unique, ancient glacial soils composed of dense white clay and limestone, which are cooled constantly by refreshing lake breezes. This specific environment allows the native Turbiana grape to achieve incredible complexity and a fascinating, age-worthy structure.

Why You'll Love Me: It is remarkably vibrant, nuanced, and completely unforgettable. In the glass, it shows a bright straw-yellow hue with green reflections. The nose is a gorgeous, complex bouquet of crisp yellow apple, fresh white peach, and wild rose petals, rounded out by a cooling hint of balsamic herbs. Aged on its fine lees in stainless steel, it coats the palate with a beautifully supple, elegant texture that is instantly enlivened by a bright, laser-focused acidity and a long, lip-smacking saline finish.