The Zenato Lugana 2006 was provided to me by Sublime Wines to review. It retails for 11.90 from Sublime wines and is made from the Trebbiano grape variety.

Mary’s review from the website states: Made on the shores of Lake Garda this wine is as scenic as the area it comes from. It is viscous for an Italian wine with a great mouth feel - all is in perfect balance and there is a soft creamy finish like liquid chocolate.

When I was requesting my review bottle from Mark, I had but one criteria - send me a nice white that’s not a Chardonnay! I’ve found recently that everywhere I go out seems to offer an abundance of Chardonnay or Chardonnay-Sauvignon wines, and it’s a grape variety that I’ve never been keen on. I’ve always enjoyed Italian whites however, as they seem to be more flexible in the variety of dishes that they complement.

On opening the Lugana I wasn’t disappointed. Golden-yellow in colour, the bouquet was of clean fruits with hints of melon and pineapple. For an Italian white, it is fairly viscous, and very pleasing to drink. On the palate it felt smooth and yet strong, with hints of lemon and pineapple.

As the husband isn’t a big wine drinker, it’s important for me that my wine holds it’s flavour for a day or two. Stoppered and stored in the fridge, the Lugana tasted as nice on the third night as it did on the first. The sausage & pasta in tomato sauce that I paired it with on the first night was a little too strong for the wine, but it complemented a hearty salad perfectly the next evening.

At 11.90, it’s not super-cheap, but I’ll certainly be stocking up on a bottle or two for “special nights in”. Overall, it’s well worth a try!