Tenuta Le Civaie

Foundation in Lugana — 2010

Diego Cottini acquired 30 hectares near Sirmione in 2010 and founded Tenuta Le Civaie for the production of Lugana DOC. The acquisition was supported by the whole Cottini family and extended a portfolio that had previously been centred principally on red wines into the white wines of Lugana.

Sustainable development — 2013 onward

In spring 2013, the agricultural holdings obtained Biodiversity Friend certification, a private World Biodiversity Association standard created to assess the conservation of biodiversity in agriculture. Tenuta Le Civaie’s technical documentation identifies its vineyards as covered by this certification.

Beginning with the 2018 harvest, the family introduced precision-viticulture techniques in collaboration with the Wine Research Team and the AGER research laboratory. The programme included digital mapping and characterization of every vineyard, satellite NDVI data for identifying differences in vine vigour, field investigations of the resulting zones, a digital record of treatments and vineyard work, and automatic tracking of machinery routes, working hours and production costs.

Since August 2018, the family’s estate vineyards have officially produced organic grapes. Vineyard management combines reduced pesticide use with exclusively organic fertilization. The agricultural system also incorporates the SQNPI national integrated-production framework, intended to minimize effects on the environment and consumer health.

The fourth generation

Tenuta Le Civaie remains under Cottini family ownership. Diego and Annalberta Cottini work alongside their sons Michele and Mattia, the family’s fourth generation. Diego oversees the landholdings and the principal stages of vineyard management; Annalberta promotes organic culture and biodiversity; Michele follows production from grape reception through maturation, blending and bottling; and Mattia manages marketing, communications, public relations and hospitality.

The selected Lugana vineyards are planted to Turbiana and trained to Guyot at 5,000 vines per hectare. Their stated yield is 120 quintals per hectare, equivalent to 12 t/ha.

The property’s vineyards have officially produced organic grapes since August 2018. Management reduces the use of plant-protection products and relies exclusively on organic fertilization, with the aim of lowering residues on grapes and reducing wider environmental effects. The estate is also covered by Biodiversity Friend certification, obtained in spring 2013 under the World Biodiversity Association standard, and the agricultural system incorporates the SQNPI national integrated-production framework.

Precision viticulture has been used since the 2018 harvest. Every vineyard was identified and characterized in a digital cartographic platform accessible through the web and an application. Satellite NDVI measurements are used to visualize variation in vine vigour, followed by field investigations to characterize the different zones. A digital field register records treatments and vineyard operations, while machinery routes and working hours are tracked to associate labour and production costs automatically with individual vineyards.

For the estate’s Lugana grapes, harvest timing varies according to the intended selection: the principal picking period begins in the first week of September, while the later selection normally begins near the end of September. Grapes are selected and harvested by hand, then immediately chilled to approximately 5°C before transport to the cellar.

The documented Le Civaie Lugana process begins with manual grape selection and immediate cooling to approximately 5°C. In the cellar, the grapes are destemmed and crushed. Skin contact lasts 8–10 hours and is followed by gentle pressing under reduced-oxygen conditions. The must then undergoes natural, cold static clarification.

Fermentation takes place at a low temperature of 14–16°C. Depending on the selection, fermentation and maturation use stainless steel and, for part of the longer-aged production, barriques. The wines remain on their lees with repeated bâtonnage. The principal Lugana selection spends about five months on its lees and rests for a further two months in bottle; the longer-aged selection undergoes a total maturation of 24 months followed by at least six months in bottle.

Red grapes used for Ceruleo may be left on the vine for slight overripening according to variety and vintage. They are selected and hand-harvested between mid- and late October into small crates. After destemming and crushing, fermentation lasts 20 days at a controlled 20–24°C. Maturation proceeds first in tonneaux and then in truncated-conical vats until bottling.