Valentine’s Day Is to Be Celebrated with Loto, the Elegant Rosso Toscana Igt from the Estate Villa Santo Stefano
Lucca, January 2022 – On the most romantic day of the year, a red wine that warms the heart is Loto, Rosso Toscana IGT by Villa Santo Stefano, a winery that was born in Lucchesia, a splendid hillside area in northern Tuscany, between the Apuan Alps and the sea.
Loto is a cuvée composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Merlot (40%) and Petit Verdot (10%) that ages in high-quality French barrique barrels and is then aged first in cement for 6 months, then in bottles for another 6. The resulting wine has hints of red forest berries, smoke tones and a hint of vanilla, while the colour can go up to deep ruby red. Loto is an elegant and intense wine, full-bodied and harmonious, which is perfect for enjoying during a romantic candlelight dinner and paired with meat dishes of the great Tuscan cuisine: from the first courses with meat sauce, ribollita and pici, to the second courses such as peposo, steaks and aged cheeses.
Loto was born in 2006 and marked the entry into the world of wine of Villa Santo Stefano and its founders, the German entrepreneur Wolfgang Reitzle and his wife, the TV presenter and writer Nina Ruge. Enchanted by the surrounding hills of Lucca, the couple bought the former Villa Bertolli in 2001, together with a few olive groves and a hectare of vineyard. The Reitzles then decided to turn the estate into a real farm with the aim of producing local olive oil and wine, always seeking the highest quality. In honour of the nearby 9th century pieve bearing the same name, the new estate was renamed Villa Santo Stefano.
Besides increasing its wine production to around 50,000 bottles, Villa Santo Stefano now includes a guesthouse overlooking the vineyards and olive groves surrounding the estate. All rooms combine a classic style of furniture typical of the elegant Tuscan tradition with more contemporary elements, creating a refined, warm and welcoming environment. Thanks to its position and identity, Villa Santo Stefano is the ideal destination for a weekend out of town in any season, alone or in company, where one can take a break and enjoy the silence of the hills of Lucca.
- Loto price: 34,90€
- For further information: www.villa-santostefano.it
VILLA SANTO STEFANO
Villa Santo Stefano is the choice of Wolfgang Reitzle who, after many years as manager of the most important car manufacturers in Germany and the USA, has decided to produce his wine and oil in Lucca. Reitzle. Born in Neu-Ulm in Germany, he used to spend his summers with his family in Italy as a child. His passion for Tuscany led him to buy Villa Santo Stefano with his wife Nina Ruge, a well-known TV celebrity in Germany, and convert it into a farm producing oil and wine. Today Villa Santo Stefano produces around 50,000 bottles of wine and 1,500 litres of extra virgin olive oil on its 12 hectares of land, with an environmentally friendly management and a dedicated hospitality area.
