2011 La Basia Garda Marzemino Le Morene

La Basia was started in 1975 by agronomist Elena Parona and her husband Antonio. Elena fell in love with the property, which like many Italian farms grows fruit and olive trees, grain, and other agricultural products along with grape vines. Though Elena died a few years ago, her five children and husband still run La Basia, with son Giacomo leading the winemaking. La Basia makes Valtènesi and Garda appellations wines from the indigenous grapes Groppello and Marzemino.

Lombardy is in the north, just under Switzerland, and it is home to Milan and Italy’s major business centers. Lombardy (Lombardia, in Italian) is also the center for what some consider Italy’s best sparkling wines. Though the Veneto has long been known for its prosecco, the Franciacorta DOCG, one of two DOCGs in Lombardy, is famous for its sturdier, elegant, Champagne-style sparkling wines, which are made by metodo classico, the traditional French Champagne-making process requiring two separate fermentations, among other steps. The sparkling wine industry here is relatively young, having started only in the 1960s. But money for Lombardy wineries has come from wealthy regional industrialists, and it has grown quickly. There are nearly 70,000 vineyard acres in Lombardy and it ranks eleventh in terms of production among Italy’s wine regions. There are thirteen DOCs making red and white wines. Chardonnay is the dominant white grape and it is used in many sparkling wines. Red wines are made from Barbera, Bonarda, Lambrusco and Chiavennasca, which is a regional variation of Nebbiolo. Bellavista in Franciacorta is the most famous producer in Lombardy, although the DOC Oltrepo Pavese is also considered to have an excellent terroir. Valtellina, which has a DOCG and DOC, in the far north makes Chiavennasca, which is Nebbiolo.