A love of the vineyard, the landscape of Lugana and art. The pioneering spirit and wisdom of a patriarch applied to a project whose core values are quality, respect and beauty. These principles have given shape to Ottella, an estate that covers the most treasured areas of the Lugana DOC. The company produces wines with a recognisable and elegant character and offers experiences to those who love art, nature and beauty, as well as wine.
Pioneering spirit
Lodovico’s passion stemmed from the pioneering vision of his father, Giovanni, and grandfather, the eponymous Lodovico Montresor. Ottella’s founder immersed himself in the history and landscape of Lugana to bring his dream, and that of the region as a whole, to life. Historiographic records show Ottella was the first producer to make Lugana wine in 1905. Alongside researchers from the University of Brescia, it was Lodovico who delimited the vineyards of Lugana, leading to the creation of the consorzio in 1967.
This passionate dedication and relentless commitment to quality and character has been passed on to Lodovico’s sons, Francesco and Michele, safe guardians of a unique oenological, cultural and artistic legacy. Now at the helm of the estate, they have brought Ottella to the 21st century, staying true to his father’s teachings.
A living legacy
Spanning 90 hectares, in the most hallowed areas of the Lugana DOC, Ottella’s vineyards enjoy a unique microclimate that gives the wines a particular balance and elegance. The cool Lake Garda breezes and the area’s outstanding clay soils yield wines of soft precision and balanced minerality, namely those produced from Turbiana (Trebbiano di Lugana), the region’s indigenous grape.
Ottella’s range is centred around multiple expressions of Turbiana, from a crisp DOC Lugana, to the oak-aged Molceo Riserva, by way of the single vineyard Le Creete and the expressive Back to Silence, fermented and aged in clay amphorae. Each bottle expresses a different aspect of the outstanding terroir of Lugana.
Artistic vocation
Ottella’s winery itself is an expression of the project’s core values: quality, respect and beauty. Built in 2013 and designed by renowned architect Francesco Copersino, the building embodies the same vein of sleekness and textural elegance that runs through Ottella’s wines. An original, contemporary project, the winery is a place where one is immersed in a multi-sensory experience. Not just through wine but also through the appreciation of the many artworks housed at Ottella.
The company’s rich history is as deep in art as it is in wine. The longstanding commitment to the landscape of Lugana has evolved hand in hand with artistic and cultural initiatives. Further to its in-house collection, Ottella is the patron of the Ottella for GAM (Galleria d’Arte Moderna) Contemporary Art Award, and has been an active supporter of the Museo d’Arte Moderna Achille Forti in Verona, whose permanent collection now includes five works donated by Ottella.
Discovering Ottella’s wines is, above all, an invitation to enter a world of beauty, both natural and artistic. A visit to the winery is an unmissable opportunity to engage all senses in unique experiences that evoke the teachings of Lodovico Montresor: an ethical and aesthetic philosophy that brings wine, art, nature and culture under the same roof.