The boutique winery Cascina Maddalena, located in the heart of the Lugana appellation, in the very hamlet that gives its name to the whole appellation, will turn 100 years old in 2024.
Four acres, 90 percent conducted in Turbiana, and 30 to 35,000 bottles per year. Family-run, today at the helm are the three siblings Elisa, Elena and Mattia Zordan. Cascina Maddalena aims to be human-friendly, yet it does not miss opportunities to innovate, experiment and be on the cutting edge.
The territory
A territory like the Lugana DOC is, I always say, a very lucky territory.
Lo è stato nel tempo quando ne è scaturito per la prima volta il notevole successo commerciale dei suoi vini.
Prezzo delle uve importante così come una percezione della high wine quality by the consumer. Successful abroad, just across the border, but this wine is increasingly popular in Italy as well, and not only in the areas bordering the lake and in the provinces covered by the doc of Brescia and Verona. This territory, south of Lake Garda, obviously undergoes and enjoys the lake microclimate.
It is also characterized by mainly clay soils with rather high percentages of clay especially in the lakefront vineyards.
In the more inland areas, on the very gentle hills, the soil composition changes and the clay is reduced.
More elegant wines then (wanting to simplify) in the interior and more powerful on the shores of the Lake. A power that needs to be managed, harnessed, enhanced.
This has been the mission of the Zordan family yesterday, today and will be for tomorrow with its vineyards from soils with from the share of clay more than 50%.
Owning a Ferrari doesn’t make much sense if you drive it in first … here the same applies to these wines.
The Turbiana grape
Surprising is the white Turbiana grape, seemingly so simple, which in this area turns out to be a treasure trove of infinite resources.
At Cascina Maddalena we protect and enhance it both in the field and in the cellar.
You have to take care of it, the vineyards in Lugana can be really hard to work with, both in rainy years when the clay in the soils becomes worse than quicksand, and in drought years when it splits and turns into hard and difficult to work terracotta monoblocks.
This is where the two corporate interpretations which over the years have become, thanks to technical choices, “purest possible” expressions of this territory, Capotesta and Clay.
Two wines, two souls of the same territory
For Head of head, after a few years of experimentation, the recipe is soon said: whole cluster pressing.
Fermentation and light aging in steel.
Screw cap and Rhine bottle.
To definitively seal the vertical nature from the tapered flavor of this Lugana doc.
Clay Shuffles the cards slightly.
From a selection of grapes from a single plot, from slightly late harvest after an initial unloading of the vine.
Matures and ferments between steel and cement for a year, and for a minimum of another year rests in bottle.
Powerful, deep, always savory and strictly screw-corked.
Two wines, two souls of the same territory. Both more palate than nose. Characterized by being true to themselves, children of their vintage, and characterized by a longevity that is told over time with the development of different aromas.
Two attempts, successful, to enhance power (already mentioned) but above all the other great characteristic that makes Lugana and Lugana wines unique.
Versatility.
Cascina Maddalena as a wine tourism destination
Zambon family, Cascina Maddalena 100th anniversary event
The history of Cascina Maddalena is documented and fun to discover, perhaps during a visit to the farm (believe me there are worse places to visit than Lake Garda).
The farm also features agritourism cooking from the flavor of home, authentic and territorial.
But they will certainly not fail to recommend local restaurants with more varied offerings.
Like the MOS Restaurant in Desenzano del Garda, which believes in lake fish.
Being able to interpret a territory has been the great challenge to date.
For the next 100 years, the new challenge will be adapt to change, which has always been there but today is increasingly abrupt.
On the strength of their choices and the super power, which in this case is the family, I have no doubt that it will be a success.
Dulcis in fundo for the occasion comes Capotesta’s celebratory box set where 6 vertical vintages of the same wine can be found.
Happy first 100 years!
This is just the beginning.
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