Lugana DOC Sparkling Wines Win Big at Villafranca Competition

The participation of Lugana DOC wines in the recent Interprovincial Wine Competition of Villafranca, organized by ONAV (National Organization of Wine Tasting Experts) and the Villafranca di Verona Trade Fair Authority, exclusively for sparkling and frizzante wines, was highly positive. The inaugural edition of the competition saw the presentation of 80 samples from 66 wineries from the provinces of Brescia, Mantua, and Verona.

Twenty-eight samples received the Città di Villafranca Trophy, awarded to wines that, in tastings by a panel of experts and enologists, scored 88/100 or higher. The Lugana DOC sparkling wines achieved great success, demonstrating their aptitude for sparkling production, thanks also to the excellent work by the producers themselves.

The following wineries were awarded in Villafranca: Valerio Zenato, Cantina Marangona, Fratelli Fraccaroli, Cantina Rebay, Cantina Otella, Cantina Co’ De Fer. In 1997, 14,008.39 hectoliters of still Lugana DOC were produced, totaling 1,867,785 bottles; for sparkling production, 963.05 hectoliters, equivalent to 86,407 bottles, were used for the Charmat method, while 494.56 hectoliters, or 52,379 bottles, were allocated to traditional method sparkling wine.

In 1998, the total declared production of Lugana DOC wine was 43,008 hectoliters, compared to 32,812 hectoliters in 1997. The vineyard area registered is 549.69 hectares, an increase of 15.8 hectares from the previous year, while the number of wineries listed in the Register of Vineyards is 120 units.