Ca Lojera: Fine whites from a local grape.

Dateline: 08/13/97

In the old days, the easiest way to communicate between Lago di Garda and Lago del Frassino was to follow one of the waterways, which also reached inland. These waterways were traveled by the salt merchants, and also by Mercanti Neri, smugglers who would occupy lakeside farms and do business. Strangers who came near were sent away with the warning that wolves prowled the land.

Ca Lojera was one of these farms. I met Mrs. Tiraboschi, the owner, at VinExpo in Bordeaux -- several people were sitting around a table at another winery's stand, drinking a nice sparkling wine that turned out to be hers. We chatted and the next morning I dropped by her stand.

Ca Lojera is located in the Lugana DOC production zone, on the southern shores of Lake Garda, between Peschiera del Garda and Desenzano del Garda. The estate produces primarily white wines, from the Trebbiano di Lugana grape (a variety of the Trebbiano so common in central Italy that has adapted quite well to its new home in the north). Though the regulations of the DOC allow the use of up to 10% non-Lugana white grapes other than Moscato or Malvasia, Ca Lojera's Lugana is 100% Trebbiano. And quite pleasant, too.

I tasted two:

Ca' Lojera Lugana 1996 is pale amber in color and has a pleasingly complex bouquet with melon and tangerine laced with floral notes and hints of mint. On the palate the wine is faintly astringent, with nice fruit, especially citrus. It's fairly full, and not at all sweet, with a clean finish. This is an extremely pleasant wine, and the complete absence of wood really helps the floral and fruit notes of the bouquet to shine. The wine will go well with hors d'oeuvres, delicate fish dishes, and simple meats; it will also work well, I think, with mild oriental dishes.

Ca' Lojera Lugana Vigna Silva 1996 is quite different: It is again pale yellow, but on the nose has buttery wood shot through with floral notes, and some hints of fruit as well. There's also a pleasant spiciness to the bouquet, and it's very clean. On the palate the wine is full, almost chewy; the wood is not as pronounced as I might have expected, while the fruit flavors are pleasingly assertive. The finish is clean, with pleasing citrusy tartness. This is a more important wine than the normal Ca Lojera, and will go well with crustaceans, more elaborate fish dishes (including those in cream sauces), pastas, and white meats. It will also go well with more robust Chinese cuisine, and delicately spiced Indian dishes as well. Two things to say about the wine. First, it had been bottled just before the show, and the bouquet was not completely developed. Second, this is yet another barriqued white, and I found myself wondering what the bouquet might have been like without the oak influence. The normal Ca Lojera had some delightful fruit and floral complexities that I am sure this wine would have had too (and likely to a greater degree, since it is made from the best grapes of the vineyard) had there not been that faint touch of oak. In any case, both wines give excellent proof of the potential of Trebbiano, one of Italy's most underrated white grapes.

Ca Lojera also makes a red wine, Monte Della Guardia, which is much more international than its white cousins: It's made from 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet. When I asked why, Mrs. Tiraboschi smiled and said, "the traditional red wine made in this region is Bardolino. It's made in such quantities that what little we would be able to produce would be but a drop in a flood, and nobody would even notice it. So we decided to do something different." It certainly does differ from Bardolino, and I found it quite pleasant. The color is a deep red in part attributable to a quick passage in barriques, and the bouquet has that typical gamy underbrush tang of Cabernet laced with plumbs and berry fruit. On the palate the Merlot comes forth, contributing delicate well rounded tannins; the wine is full, soft, and has nice fruit. The finish is clean, and laced with berry fruit. It's round enough to go well with first course dishes, such as risotti or tortelli, but powerful enough to go well with grilled meats too.

Ca' Lojera also produces a sparkling wine, which I enjoyed but didn't take notes on, and a semi-sparkling white called Ambra, which I didn't taste. The winery exports to northern Europe, and is just beginning to export to the United States. A search in the WineAccess retailer catalog may turn up their wines, or you can email Alessandra Tiraboschi to ask her where you might find it.

To close, a recipe for trout Alessandra sent me:

"Not far from our cellars, on the outskirts of Sirmione," she writes, "is an Austrian barracks from the days of the Hapsburg Empire, which became the Ristorante Dogana quite some time ago. The owners are close friends of ours, and gave me a wonderful recipe for preparing the trout caught in Lake Garda:

• 1 trout, weighing 2 1/4 pounds
• 1 1/3 cups Bianco di Lugana
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• A bunch of parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• Oregano, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper

"Clean the trout, rinse the cavity well and pat it dry, and set it in a pot over high heat with the oil, a half cup of water, the wine, one clove of garlic, salt and pepper; when the liquid begins to boil reduce the heat and gently boil the fish for 40 minutes.

"Meanwhile, mince the parsley and crush the other clove of garlic. Heat about a cup of tomato sauce (enough to pour over the fish but no so much that the fish is swimming in it) and simmer it for a few minutes with the garlic, the parsley, and salt to taste, and then keep it warm.

"Heat your oven to about 200 °C (410 °F), and when the fish has finished simmering transfer it to a heat-proof serving dish, pour the sauce over it, and pop it into the oven for 2-3 minutes. Dust it lightly with the oregano and serve; it will feed four.

"The good Lugana wine left in the bottle won't be sufficient to accompany the meal, so we suggest you have another on hand; your home will soon become a first rate restaurant!"

A printer-friendly version of this recipe.

Good Food & Drink,
Kyle Phillips

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