The Ca' Maiol winery identifies itself with a territory and its wine: Lugana. Ca' Maiol is the winery of the year in the 2021 edition of Gambero Rosso. Walter Contato founded the business in 1967 in the village of Desenzano and at the same time he was one of the most important promoters of Lugana wine, participating in the birth of the DOC and later of the Protection Consortium.
The territory is the southern shore of Lake Garda between the provinces of Brescia and Verona. In this place the soil is of alluvial origin. With the retreat of the glaciers, the south of Lake Garda was a marshy area for centuries. Once reclaimed, a clear, almost white clay remained. It is very hard when dry and muddy when wet. It is not easy to work with, but this characteristic is the key to the success of the wines that are produced. Another distinctive factor is the mild, almost Mediterranean climate, in fact olive trees and lemon trees grow on the shores of Lake Garda.
The Contato family believed a lot in this territory and in the white-berried Turbiana grape, which is vinified as both still and sparkling wine. The range of Ca' Maiol wines is very extensive and in addition to various expressions of Lugana it also includes rosé wines (Chiaretto) and red wines.
Since 2017 the property has been in the hands of the Santa Margherita group, but Fabio Contato is still managing the winery.