Featured wine profile

Ca dei Frati I Frati Lugana 2024

A benchmark Lugana from the southern shore of Lake Garda, made from Turbiana and often treated as the bottle that introduces people to the serious side of this fresh, mineral white-wine style.

External scores: 89 Falstaff for 2024, 91 Wine Enthusiast Editor's Choice for 2020, CellarTracker community often around 92, Vivino community rating about 4.2/5.

This profile is designed to help readers recognize the bottle, understand the style, and decide where it fits at the table.

Why this wine matters

I Frati is the signature wine of Ca dei Frati and one of the best-known reference bottles for Lugana DOC. It is useful on Wines Veneto because Lugana sits around Lake Garda and helps show that the region is not only about Amarone, Prosecco, and Soave.

The wine is made from Turbiana, the local grape that gives Lugana its mix of freshness, texture, savory depth, and age-worthy mineral character.

What to expect

When young, expect a fresh and linear white with white flowers, apricot, almond, citrus, and a clean savory line. With bottle age, the style can develop more mineral, iodine, spice, and deeper texture, which is part of why I Frati has such a strong reputation.

How to read the scores

The 2024 vintage has an 89-point Falstaff note, while previous vintages show the wine's consistent reputation: Wine Enthusiast gave the 2020 vintage 91 points and Editor's Choice, and community ratings on CellarTracker and Vivino tend to sit high for a widely available white wine.

Food pairings

Pair it with grilled lake fish, perch risotto, seafood pasta, cold appetizers, poultry, fresh cheeses, vegetable dishes, and simple Garda-style lunches. It is a flexible bottle because it has enough freshness for aperitivo and enough texture for food.

Serving tip

Serve around 10-12 C. Do not serve it too icy if you want the almond, mineral, and savory side to show. A standard white-wine glass works well.

Best for

Choose this bottle when you want a classic Lugana reference point, a Lake Garda white for seafood or risotto, or a beginner-friendly bottle that still has enough seriousness to reward attention.

Similar Veneto wines

• Lugana from another Lake Garda producer.
• Soave Classico if you want a different Veneto white built around Garganega.
• Pieropan Soave Classico 2023 for another benchmark dry white profile.