Late September Sirmione at sunset on a drizzly day in Lombardy, Italy during WMC 2022; the remains of a Roman Villa built 2000 years ago: the so-called Grottoes of Catullus, the biggest villa in northern Italy and the town are a must visit should you go to Lombardy.

Lugana, Franciacorta, Oltrepo’ Pavese, Valtellina, Lambrusco, Chiaretto– these are just a few of the many wines from Lombardy, located in the northern part of Italy, and home to Milan, the second largest city in Italy after Rome. Archaeological research shows fossilized records from the third millennium which indicate ancient tribes cultivated grapes there. Bronze Age fossils from the region show Vinifera, the Latin name for the family of grapes we make wine with today.  

In Lombardy, home to numerous castles like Sirmione’s Rocca Scaliger Castle and 90 UNESCO cultural sites, grapes grow in steep hillsides in the Alps in Valtellina, around the glacier lakes, and in the hills. On fertile flat plains along the Po, rice abounds. 

Located between Piedmonte to the the west, Trento to the east, and Veneto to the southeast, Lombardy has several key appellations you should get to know like Valtellina’s Nebbiolo.

Valtellina’s Nebbiolo  during harvest early October 2022; one side of the valley is in complete shade for months of the year!

In December, I’m hosting the Italian FWT group who will introduce you to a few of them! This year, we’ve worked our way up from Sicily and for the final month of the year, we’re in Lombardy! You’re invited to join us on our journey with an article of your own–

Italy Wine Map

Named for the Lombards, a group of bearded men who obviously left an impression, Lombardy is marked most by the Alps, and the rivers and glacial lakes like Como, Garda, Iseo, and Maggiore which find their sources in the mountain range that divides the peninsula of Italy from Lombardy’s northern neighbor Switzerland. 

Lombardy’s dramatic geography supports viticulture and agriculture

Glaciers coming from the limestone Dolomites carried rocks down the mountains and carved out these lakes, leaving behind moraines, or piles of rocks when they melted.  

Glaciers also bring soils of various types to the surface which provide different qualities to the wines, and opportunities for different grapes to grow.

Lombardy’s wine regions: note the large lakes that serve as thermal sinks

The region’s glacial lakes serve the important purpose of thermal sinks helping to mitigate extreme highs and lows so well that both olive trees and palm trees survive and thrive there.

Sirmione is an ancient, scenic town on Lake Garda located near the end of the Sirmio peninsula that juts into the southern end of Lake Garda. Avansi’s Vigna Bragana proximity to the peninsula allows them to have wines with Sirmione DOC 

The flow of the Po river from its sources in the Alps through the valley allowed easy movement of people to migrate as well as commercial exchange rather than other more isolated regions in Italy leading to a concentration of wealth and commerce in Milan, located in the flatlands of Lombardy.

Lake Garda marina and moat for the castle

Wine traveled in amphora, large clay vessels, which nestled well together layered one on top of the other for a safe journey from Lombardy to Verona, Venice and beyond by boats.

Today wines come in all styles, and vineyards are found scattered throughout the region:

Lombardy’s Wine regions offer a variety of styles

Wikipedia lists thirteen regions with their locations from north to south and links: 

• Going with Lugana in 2021! Read why here. 
• Fall for Lugana with Chicken Piccata here.
• For the Love of Lugana is here.
• A Love Affair with Lugana is here. 

Scaligero Castle, the castle at Sirmione on Lake Garda, is one of the best preserved castles in Italy

So when it came to feature wine from Lombardy, I went with Lugana, and since I wanted to share about Sirmione, I chose this one!