NEW Organic Lugana Marangona

Hello,

An unglazed concrete tank. No barrique, no steel, no wood — concrete. That's how Marangona won the Tre Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso in 2025. The highest accolade Italy's most important wine guide awards — and for a Lugana.

Lugana, the white wine from the southern shore of Lake Garda, which most people know as a pleasant terrace wine. What Alessandro Cutolo makes from it is something else entirely.

Marangoni — the Carpenters of Verona

The name comes from a bell. On Verona's Lamberti Tower, it once called the Marangoni — the carpenters — to work. The estate where Alessandro works today has existed since the 17th century. The family first bottled wine in 1973, when Lugana barely interested anyone.

In 2007, Alessandro took over in the fourth generation. Thirty hectares between Pozzolengo and Sirmione, on calcareous clay directly by the lake. The oldest Turbiana vines are over 50 years old. One of only eight organic estates among 116 Lugana producers — certified since 2017, experimenting since 2012.

Concrete, Clay and the Art of Leaving Things Alone

Alessandro's philosophy can be reduced to one sentence: intervene as little as possible, so the lake and the soil have their say.

Spontaneous fermentation, no malolactic conversion, no wood, minimal sulphur. The Cemento — his most radical statement — matures with skin contact in unglazed concrete, rests 10–12 months on fine lees, then another six months in bottle. Alongside this, he experiments with terracotta amphorae: three months' skin contact, an orange wine that tests the boundaries of the appellation.

The Wines

Marangona Lugana DOC 2025

Turbiana · Lake Garda · ca. 13 €

Alessandro's calling card. White blossom, lemon zest, green apple — and then that saline minerality that reveals someone here takes the soil seriously. 94 points Wine Enthusiast. For 13 euros.

★ Cemento Lugana DOC 2024

Turbiana · Lake Garda · ca. 21 €

Tre Bicchieri Gambero Rosso 2025. Skin contact in unglazed concrete, 40–50-year-old vines. Golden yellow with amber hints. White peach, sage, white pepper — a grippy texture with polished tannins you don't expect in white wine. Crushed chalk on the finish.

TreCampane Lugana DOC 2024

Turbiana · Lake Garda · ca. 21 €

Marangona's principal wine. Two harvest dates, concrete maturation, old vines. Camomile, marzipan, hazelnut — taut and saline, with an iodine-laced finish that lingers for minutes. 94 points Decanter, 10+ years' ageing potential. Only 500–600 cases per year.

Chiaretto Riviera del Garda Classico DOC 2025

Groppello, Marzemino, Barbera, Sangiovese · Lake Garda · ca. 13 €

Organic rosé in the oldest tradition of Lake Garda: four local grape varieties, directly pressed. Wild strawberries, rose petals, saline finish. Only 4,000 bottles per year — and we have just a few left in stock.

The Marangona Tasting Case

Six bottles, four wines — a complete journey through Marangona:

2× Marangona Lugana — the entry point, saline minerality for 13 €
1× Cemento Lugana — the Tre Bicchieri winner, skin contact in concrete
1× TreCampane Lugana — the principal wine, 94 points Decanter
2× Chiaretto — organic rosé from four Lake Garda varieties, only 4,000 bottles/year

Warm regards from Lake Garda to Berlin,

David & the team at
Living Wines

P.S.: Lugana with skin contact and concrete texture needs a glass that shows minerality and structure simultaneously. The Zalto Universal is our first choice for this — from entry-level Lugana to the Cemento.