Le Fraghe

Matilde started Le Fraghe in 1984, and this feels like exactly the kind of Bardolino she has spent decades protecting. Light on its feet, full of energy, and never pushed into something darker or heavier than it wants to be. Bright black cherry and blueberry roll into cinnamon, cracked pepper, and that stony, slightly salty character that feels so tied to Lake Garda, where the vineyards sit on sandy, rocky soils shaped by ancient glaciers. Give it a proper chill, and it becomes dangerously easy to drink. This is very much wine for the table. Burgers off the grill, roast chicken, charcuterie, pizza, honestly almost anything you feel like putting in front of it.