2023 Nunzio Ghiraldi Lugana Il Gruccione

With abundant notes of jasmine and the waxy tropical citrus called Buddha’s Fingers, this rich, ripely aromatic white has a floral exuberance that reminds me of a trip I once took to Indonesia. With good acidity underpinning the perfumed richness, it also evokes a generous Soave. Lugana is wine that belongs to the southern shores of Lake Garda, and it’s made from Turbiana, which is a local variant of Trebbiano. Nunzio Ghiraldi has called this lovely wine Il Gruccione, the bee-eater, after the African birds that bring flashes of colour to his vineyards in summertime. (NT 06/05/26)