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Every year, Luna Rossa Winery enters its products into various regional, state and international competitions, and they enter 2020 boasting that when it comes to bottling Pinot Grigio, they compete with the best in the world.
Luna Rossa’s 2018 Pinot Grigio took home the coveted Double Gold Award at the 2019 San Francisco International Wine Competition, according to Enologist Marco D’Andrea.
D’Andrea said his family is no stranger to winning awards for their wines, but the significance and prestige of the Double Gold Award elevates their name and brand to a whole new dimension.
The competition is decided by a panel of expert tasters who are not privy to the winery or label of the wines in the competition, so to come out on top is “pretty amazing,” D’Andrea said.
Typically, the family enters only four or five of its varieties in any given contest, but through the years, they have brought home multiple top awards for their wines. D’Andrea said the entry submissions each year go to three or four annual competitions.
Luna Rossa produces upwards of 84,000 bottles of wine in any given year, and in addition to their Double-Gold-winning pinot Grigio, they have earned gold awards for their Reserve Agianico, their Tempranillo, their Sangiovese, their Cabernet Sauvignon and their Nini.
The winery also boasts silver awards for its Carmenere, Chenin Blanc, Malbec, Merlot, Montepulciano, Shiraz, Viognier, Refosco, Reserve Barbera and Reserve Nebbiolo varieties.
D’Andrea’s father, Paolo D’Andrea, was born in northeastern Italy in the wine making region of Friuli. The family’s vineyards – planted in 1999 and in production since 2001 – are located on 30 acres of land just outside Deming, N.M.
The family opened its Las Cruces restaurant in 2011 at 1321 Avenida de Mesilla.
In addition to producing their own line of wines, Luna Rossa supplies grapes and grafted vines to wineries throughout the state and beyond.
Marco D’Andrea holds a bachelor’s degree in enology and viticulture from the University of Udine in Italy.
For more information, visit lunarossavinery.com.
