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It's not just for its magnificent views that Lake Garda holds such allure for visitors: it's also the culinary delights that make the great lake a focal point for many.
The gastronomic specialties of the area are the famous fish recipes, but it's only by pairing them with the right wine that one can truly say they've had a complete experience.
Here's everything you need to know about the Bianco Garda DOC Wine, from its history to its characteristics and gastronomic pairings!
From origins to denomination attainment: history of Bianco Garda DOC
"It's impossible to put into words the enchantment of this lush riviera." These are the words of the poet and writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who stayed near Lake Garda towards the end of the eighteenth century, capturing in his writings the wonder he felt in front of its landscapes.
One wonders if - besides admiring the lake views - he also had the opportunity to sip one of the local wines, now protected by the Garda DOC denomination.
Certainly, the German writer was not the first to celebrate the goodness of the region's terroir, already appreciated during the Iron Age. The area was indeed chosen by many populations (including the Etruscans) for the cultivation of domestic vines and for the first attempts at winemaking.
Historical documentation of this activity is extremely scarce, but in Roman times some writings mention this wine as the "wine of the Rhaetians", one of the most significant local populations. A protagonist of commercial exchanges - also appreciated by the great Julius Caesar - Garda wine enjoyed considerable success, which amplified in the Late Middle Ages, when winemaking art was no longer employed only for ecclesiastical rites but was enhanced with new, increasingly conscious tools and techniques.
After a period of crisis due to the World Wars, the post-war period saw a rebirth, which led in 1968 to the official use of the term "Garda" to indicate wines produced near the lake, while the obtaining of the DOC denomination dates back to 1996, to protect the main local products, such as Lugana DOC and Bardolino DOC.
Production area of Bianco Garda DOC
The main terroir of Bianco Garda DOC Wine is intuitively recognizable thanks to its name. The production area is concentrated around the provinces surrounding Lake Garda, particularly on its southern shores. Specifically involved are Lombardy and Veneto, especially the provinces of Brescia, Mantova, and Verona.
It is therefore a wine not only distinctly northern but also lacustrine, characterized by a good level of sapidity and acidity, as well as a freshness that makes it easy to drink and pleasant, easily paired with many dishes.
However, the characteristics of Bianco Garda DOC Wine may vary depending on the white grape varieties allowed by the production regulations. The main white grape varieties are Garganega, Trebbiano, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio, to which other minor local grape varieties are added.
A unique and peculiar terroir
In the hilly belt surrounding the eponymous lake, Garda DOC benefits from very particular climatic conditions, thanks to which many grape varieties thrive. It is no coincidence that this appellation is declined in many different wines, white, red, and rosé (Bardolino Chiaretto DOC being an example), whose production area extends over more than 31,000 hectares.
Specifically, the area is characterized by a temperate microclimate, quite similar to the Mediterranean zones that denote some localities of the Peninsula. The freshness of the northern position is indeed mitigated by the proximity of the lake and the presence of mountains, which protect the vines of Bianco Garda DOC Wine from the particularly cold breezes of the North.
These elements collaborate to guarantee the plants the ideal conditions to thrive, along with the favorable composition of the soils: the western soils can be of morainic or marine origin, in the latter case composed of limestone residues, while in the east the massive presence of volcanic soils can be found.
Elegance and character: the organoleptic traits of Bianco Garda DOC
Sipping a glass of Bianco Garda DOC Wine means drinking a harmonious wine, which knows how to conquer the senses with seductive and lively notes. The Lombard and Veneto terroir - as well as the characteristics of the involved grape varieties - are reflected in every aspect of this wine, starting from its straw yellow color, which evolves in the glass towards almost greenish hues.
The aromatic charge deserves careful examination, not only for its pleasantness but also for the tendency of this wine to display immediately a remarkable floral intensity, to then evolve over time into a bouquet of white pulp fruit.
The tasting confirms its lacustrine identity: sapid - if not even saline - it tantalizes the palate with a certain minerality, which enlivens the gustatory experience, inviting immediately to a second sip.
A lake wine to be fully savored: gastronomic pairings with Bianco Garda DOC
There is no single way to get the best out of this excellent white, other than to chill it until it reaches a temperature of 8°-10°C, which allows it to release all its organoleptic nuances, both olfactory and gustatory, alone or paired with some delicious dishes from the lake tradition.
It is the fish recipes that give life to the most delicious pairings, but they are certainly not the only ones. The fishing activity in the Garda area offers countless recipes with which this Italian white wine can be paired: for example, it can be drunk with trout meatballs, with a mixed fried fish platter, or even with tasty first courses, such as tagliolini with fish ragout (with trout, whitefish, and perch providing the raw materials for the sauce), a risotto with tench or a steaming dish of polenta with pike, but also with trout or char fillets with vegetable side dishes, sautéed in a pan or baked in the oven.
Food and wine pairings with Bianco Garda DOC Wine do not end here: a sip of this product is surprising even with vegetarian first courses, such as tortellini with pumpkin, a vegetable with a sweetish aftertaste that pairs beautifully with the gentle perfumes of this wine.
Bianco Garda DOC Wine has no more secrets for you! Discover this and other lake wines available in the Giordano Wines catalogue!
