They define themselves as “winegrowers by chance”: perhaps because in the beginning, when they were struggling with their first harvest, Anna and Franco Tiraboschi knew little or nothing about wine. Today Ca ‘Lojera, the farm they acquired in the mid-70s in Rovizza of Sirmione, is among the most prestigious brands of Lugana, with a production of 120,000 bottles obtained from grapes of 18 hectares of vineyard. “Five years ago we have achieved the balance of production we’ve always been dreaming about – says Ambra Tiraboschi -. Our goal was to put all our grapes in the bottle, and finally we succeeded. It’s not always been easy, especially in an area where Lugana, at least until 15 years ago, was not appreciated as today. We had to learn how to make wine but also how to sell it: and so i began to travel around the world while Franco continued to deal with the technical and agricultural side, even though we always discussed and decided everything together”.
The winery range of wines is dominated by the classic Lugana Ca ‘Lojera, with well 90,000 bottles produced annually. A wine of great success, produced exclusively from grapes cultivated in the vineyards in Rovizza di Sirmione.
“Franco always says that our great fortune are these vineyards so close to the lake, grown on white clay with no pebbles, responsible for the marked mineral vein so typical of our area – says Ambra -. 80% of our work takes place in the vineyards: the earth can do much more than what we can do. ”
There are also 12,000 bottles divided between the Lugana Riserva and the Lugana Vendemmia Tardiva “Riserva del Lupo”, produced from grapes affected by botrytis, particularly well-known and loved by fans of the most advanced and complex versions of the famous Garda white wine. The “portfolio” Ca ‘Lojera is completed with 15,000 bottles of a very particular rosé from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, each at 50%, cultivated on a vineyards owned by the winery in Ponti sul Mincio, as well as two red wnes (Cabernet and Merlot).
A good way to taste the wines of Ca ‘Lojera can be to start from the agriturismo where Franco and Ambra offer dining on Saturday evenings and Sunday lunch: the menu is made of simple but very well prepared dishes like Risotto Lugana, which has become a classic, or the Tagliatelle with vegetables.
“In the cellar we sell directly nearly 15% of our total production to the customers – reflects Ambra -. It’s a huge help. But also an option of which our area is in great need. Our wineries are run by families and with the results obtained from Lugana in recent years I think it is necessary to commit to live up to the demands of consumers, for example with the Sunday opening that is essential as indeed welcome especially in summer ”
23 years after that first vintage that has changed their lives, Franco and Ambra are satisfied. “We are going through a very nice period of our history. We still have memories of the many difficulties we went through in the past, but we still have plans for our future. “
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