The southern shores of Lake Garda are known to yield fine white wines, although it is not unusual to encounter red wines of considerable depth and power from that area, as evidenced by Cà dei Frati’s Vino Rosso “Ronchedone.” After prolonged maceration on the skins, it rests in barrique for 14 months and is completed with a 10-month bottle aging. Rich and penetrating on the nose, punchy and powerful on the palate.

Deep ruby red in the glass. It opens on the nose with distinct hints of red fruits, blueberries and morello cherry, which are followed by balsamic and spicy undertones. The palate is full-bodied, powerful and savory, fresh and long in persistence.

The Ca’ dei Frati winery has been known since 1782 as attested by a document that reports “of a house with cellar located in Lugana in the tener of Sermion called the place of the Friars.” In 1939 Felice Dal Cero, son of Domenico, already a winemaker in Montecchia di Crosara, in the Verona area, moved to that house in Lugana di Sirmione, sensing right away the area’s high wine vocation. After thirty years of work in the vineyard and cellar, in 1969, son Pietro participated in the birth of the DOC by starting to bottle his first label of Lugana Casa dei Frati, later called Ca’ dei Frati. In 2012 Pietro Dal Cero passed away, leaving the cultural legacy to his wife Santa Rosa and children Igino, Gian Franco and Anna Maria, who run the company with the same passion and determination.