Vinařství v Jižním Tyrolsku

A family business, a single vineyard area, three grape varieties, but countless genotypes: at the Plonerhof estate in Marling, the focus is on a completely unique variability to occupy an extremely interesting niche. That’s because winemaker Erhart Tutzer wants to be “quality” in everything - from the vine to the bottle.

The vineyards on the Plonerhof estate cover 5 hectares, some of them with slopes of up to 40 percent, where working is difficult and tiring. It is clear that under these conditions one does not receive anything for free.

If you look at the farm, one peculiarity immediately sticks out: the rows are arranged according to the line of maximum slope and not, as in the rest of the Province “a ritocchino” (i.e., following the diagonal of the field). Fading into the background, however, is the real special feature of this winery. “As many as 172 different genotypes of this vine coexist in our Pinot Nero planting,” Erhart Tutzer says, ”and even in the area designated for Sauvignon and Pinot blanc there is a certain amount of different genotypes.” This variety all within the grape variety is the true hallmark of the family business in Marling, and it is also found in the wine Tutzer produces.

Tasting it, one can also perceive the quality policy that underlies the entire business: it begins with the most natural cultivation of the vines as possible, goes through the reduction of the amount of grapes to be harvested from each vine, and ends in the winemaking in the Plonerhof winery.

At the Moarhof in Postal, they have dedicated themselves to Schiava – perhaps because not only that wine but also the estate have a lengthy tradition. The Moarhof appeared in a document for the first time in 1324, so its roots reach back nearly 700 years. And they are still cared for today.

Originally in the possession of the church, the Moarhof in Postal has belonged to the Pertoll family since 1923. Today it is Florian Klotz Pertoll who is at the helm at the estate. He already earned his stripes in fruitgrowing and winegrowing operations in Friuli at the age of sixteen, and he brought what he learned there into his father’s operation. “My father recognized that, and from that moment onward, he supported me in professionalizing the operation,” Klotz Pertoll says today.

Professionalizing also includes the expansion of the estate through the leasing of additional areas of cultivation. Thus today, the Schiava grapes, which are processed into the calling card of the Moarhof, no longer originate from the porphyry soils in Postal, but rather from the loam slopes in San Valentino. “They are grown very traditionally on pergola trellises,” Klotz Pertoll says, “because Schiava cannot be exposed too long to full sun.”

Once they are in the winery, the wines of the Moarhof in Postal – which in addition to Schiava also include Cabernet Sauvignon, Lagrein, and Merlot – are first matured in stainless steel tanks and then in large oak barrels which lie in the historical vaulted cellar. Where else?

In 2005 Andreas Sölva takes over the parental vineyard in “Kaltern/Caldaro”; Since 2007 he vinifies his own wines, as “Garage vintner and individualist”  he´s aspiring to demonstrate the uniqueness and variety of the region around the lake Caldaro. He follows the evolution of the grapes, supporting the natural processes and focuses his work exclusively on quality. His goal is to
harvest them at their best state or ripeness. The vineyards are located in and around “Kaltern/Caldaro”. The “Riegel Pulvernoa” (around 300m. a.s.l.) is planted with 80 to 100 year-old vine grape varieties of “Großand Mittervernatsch” and part of it is planted with Cabernet Franc and Tannat. On the “Riegel Barleit” (around 400m. a.s.l.) I am cultivating exclusively “Weissburgunder”
(pinot Blanc). The third site (around 420m. a.s.l.) lies in the district of “Oberplanitzing” and since 2008 it is planted with “Riesling”.

Mentioned in documents for the first time in 1545, the Perlhof Estate Winery, Max Thurner has existed for almost 500 years but is known more for its innovations than for its long tradition: “Never stand still, onward and upward, be brave enough to try new things, that’s what keeps us going,” explains Max Thurner, who, together with his family, is responsible for the entire wine production process at the Perlhof in Bozen-Oberleitach/Costa di Sopra-Bolzano: from growing the grapes all the way to bottling the wine.

The grapes for Max Thurner’s wines are grown in four different locations at altitudes ranging from 270 up to 550 meters above sea level on vineyards facing different directions, but all with excellent conditions. “The steep south-facing slopes around Bolzano/Bozen offer the perfect climate: masses of warm air rise from the Bolzano valley basin, while cooler streams of air come from the Eisacktal/Valle Isarco valley,” explains Thurner. In addition, the old vine stocks at the Perlhof grow on skeletal soil made up of quartz porphyry.

Not only four different locations but also four different wines characterize the range of products offered by the Perlhof Estate Winery. Aside from Santa Maddalena and Sauvignon, two classic wines, there is also a rosé made from Merlot grapes and the “Milo,” a cuvée made from Merlot and Schiava (Vernatsch). As the Perlhof never wants to stand still, it is continuously growing its range of wines.
 

From egg to caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly. Or, rather, from shoot to blossom to grape to wine. Armin Morandell of the estate winery of the same name in Caldaro recognized the similarities of two impressive processes of metamorphosis in nature. So it is no wonder that all of the Morandell wines are named after butterflies.

The Morandell Estate Winery is located above Lake Caldaro, and his vineyards extend across different locations and elevations from 200 to 500 meters. All of them may well be pampered by the son, but otherwise they have different microclimates and soils, the palette of which ranges from lime gravel to red loam. “This variety makes it possible for us to purposefully grow top-quality varieties that thrive especially well at each respective location and bring forth wines with strong character,” Morandell explains.

He concentrates on Pinot Grigio, Schiava, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, “On a handful of wines,” as he himself puts it, “that we produce according to all the rules of the art.” And market. And so the butterfly was made the trademark and the wines from the Morandell Estate Winery are named after species of butterflies with the labels related to their wings. “Wines and butterflies: both of them are the unbelievable result of a completed transformation,” explains Morandell, providing the idea behind it.

And because in addition, the butterfly is a sensitive creature, it also matches quite well with the philosophy of the Morandell Estate Winery, which is: “We work according to a holistic approach, devote ourselves with dedication to the care of our grapevines, and focus on sustainable management.”

Bernhard Pichler wanted to not only produce grapes, he wanted to keep the production of wine in his own hands from the vine to the labeling of the bottle. He has been doing so since 2003 at the Messnerhof in Bolzano and knows, “If the quality is good, then that is to our credit, and if sometimes something goes wrong, then we are just as responsible for it.”

Pichler is not the first one to make wine at the Messnerhof in Bolzano/San Pietro. Rather, they were producing wine themselves there up to the postwar period, after which the Pichlers concentrated upon the production of grapes. That is, until Bernhard came along. With the step to being independent, he realized a childhood dream.

The foundation of the wine production at the Messnerhof is formed by two vineyards. The first is located in Missiano in the community of Appiano, and at 0.8 hectares, it is only about half as big as the other one, which is found on a sunny slope with a southwestern exposure around the farmhouse in San Pietro. The climate is ideal at both locations. “Warm and then cooler winds provide prominent temperature fluctuations between day and night, which is optimal for the formation of aromas in the grapes,” Pichler says.

Within that context, the assortment of grapes is a broad one: Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Syrah, Tempranillo, Schiava, Lagrein, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot are grown and then made into wine according to a clear guiding principle: “Our goal is to produce expressive wines,” Pichler says, “which preserve their independent characters of variety, location, and vintage.”

Roberto Ferrari came into winegrowing from a different field. And yet not exactly. After all, he has been active forever in the world of wine, specifically as a winemaker. “After having done that for years, I wanted to create wines under my own name,” Ferrari says. For that reason, he runs the Profil Wine Factory in Termeno.

In 2007, Ferrari made the leap, quit his position in a renowned winery, and went independent with four hectares of vineyards. Since that time, he has been growing Chardonnay, Lagrein, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Merlot, tending them organically even if not certified. The former employee now makes three lines of his own: Profil, Pulsar, and, as a select wine in the best vintages, RF Selection.

In the winery, Ferrari pursues the goal of creating extraordinary wines, wines which, as he himself puts it, are characterized by passion, expertise, and creativity. “I always attempt to mix that extra breath of personality into my wines, and in that way, wines are created with my name, my signature,” explains the head of the winery.

Today, around 18,000 bottles per year leave the Profil Wine Factory in Termeno: aromatic and mineral rich, surprising and genuine, but above all else natural wines, That was also the reason why Ferrari wanted to go independent. He wanted to create his own wines: with strong character, individual, but not overbearing.
If winegrower Ferrari’s life had a navigation system, it would now announce, “You have arrived at your destination.”

The Angergut farm is located in Castelbello. Its grape growing areas are spread out along the sunny slope of the Val Venosta between Castelbello and Sluderno and range up to 900 meters (3,000 feet) above sea level. They are thus among the highest situated vineyards in all of Alto Adige. Within that context, although the elevation is in fact a prominent feature, it is by far not the only one that distinguishes the estate winery in the Val Venosta. “Our vineyards are typical for the Val Venosta: sunny, dry, and windy,” explains winegrower Tobias Mitterer.

The interplay of sun, location, soils, and wind form the natural foundation for outstanding wines. But with sustainable and gentle management that is close to nature, the Mitterer family does their part for their well-organized, practical, and carefully arranged vineyards. In that way, classic Alto Adige wines – first and foremost the reds Schiava and Pinot Noir primarily in the higher situated vineyards, but also Zweigelt, and then also the white wines such as Kerner and Riesling – are made in the old family tradition and served up in their own farmhouse inn. And in addition to the wine, it goes without saying that other products from their own farm also show up on the table there.

The Angergut is therefore far more than “just“ an estate winery. It is a classic Alto Adige mountain farm, a farmhouse inn that is popularly frequented, but first and foremost a deeply rooted family operation.  
 

The wines from Baron Di Pauli were already drunk at the court of the emperor in Vienna and that of the tsar in St. Petersburg. And in 1999, a new chapter was added to the long history of the Baron Di Pauli Estate Winery in Caldaro. That was when the foundation was laid for the cooperation with the Cantina Kaltern, which drove forward a prestige project with upper echelon wines.

The Baron Di Pauli Estate Winery consists of two farms: the 10.5 hectare Arzenhof, that is located on a hill at Lake Caldaro and, at 4.5 hectares, the substantially smaller Höfl unterm Stein in Sella above Termeno. Because the locations of the vineyards are so different, the two locations also deliver very different grapes. Thus the Arzenhof grapes are made into the Bordeaux blend Arzio, the Carano Lagrein, and the Kalkofen Lago di Caldaro, while the grapes from Sella turn into the Exilissi and Enosi Gewürztraminers and a cuvée of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Blanc.

But it doesn’t matter which grape variety or which wine – one guiding principle holds true for all of them: no compromise! “The yields in the vineyard are reduced to a minimum so that the vines can concentrate all of their energy on a few grapes which are then harvested by hand,” explains estate manager Baron Carl Philipp von Hohenbühel. The ideal composition of the soils, the Mediterranean climate, and the considerable temperature differentials between day and night make their contribution to top wines being created at the Baron Di Pauli Estate Winery.

Wines that would also be drunk at imperial courts. If there still were any left.

“My wines are made for people who know that wine is much more than just a drink.” Klaus Lentsch’s credo indicates the path that he follows with his Klaus Lentsch Estate Winery in San Paolo. The path to cru wines from the Valle Isarco, fresh white wines from the Oltradige, and powerful reds from the Bassa Atesina.

Lentsch comes from a winegrowing family rich in tradition from Bronzolo in the Bassa Atesina. In 2008, along with his wife Sylvia, he put his winemaking knowledge on his own two feet and founded the Klaus Lentsch Estate Winery in San Paolo. The goal: to blaze new trails and also create wines that are typical for the region.

“The region” in that regard is not just San Paolo or Oltradige. Rather, under the Klaus Lentsch name, three winegrowing areas are tended which are completely different and yet classic. On five hectares in San Paolo, three hectares in Campodazzo, and two more in Bronzolo, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer, Yellow Muscat, and Lagrein all grow.

But it doesn’t matter at all where the vineyards are located: “Striving for quality already starts in the vineyard, and specifically right at the vine,” Lentsch says, “and it continues in the winery and the marketing.” Only when the ideas about quality encompass every link of the chain are outstanding wines created. Those that are more than just a drink.

The best grapes, creativity, a love of labor, and a lot of patience: those are the ingredients from which Leila Grasselli and Dominic Würth in Cermes produce wines – as newcomers from another field, with the greatest respect for nature, under the label GRAWÜ.

GRAWÜ is a made-up word composed of the first letters of the surnames of these new arrivals to Alto Adige. “We have Italian and German roots and have only been living in Alto Adige for a few years,” Würth explains. “That makes a lot of things more difficult in terms of founding a company, but there are great opportunities in making wines free of conventions.”

Individual wines require individual methods. Thus leased vineyards in the Val Venosta are tended strictly organically, with attention being paid to natural cultivation and selected fungus-resistant varieties. And in the GRAWÜ winery, they consistently follow their own path, doing without pure strains of yeast and other oenological products. “Our goal is to get the genuine, unadulterated taste of the grapes and the terroir into the glass: the liquid memory of a vintage in all of its facets,” Würth explains.

Thus what comes into existence are dynamic wines that are fermented with the skins: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Gewürztraminer which constantly change and bring forth their very own flavor. “Perhaps not everyone will like them, but they very nicely reflect us as a family and the mountains in which they grow,” the winegrower says.

Cultivating and growing wines requires a broad range of expertise. This knowledge is deeply rooted at the Pardellerhof in Marlengo. Winemaker Anita Mitterer is a biologist and previously worked at the Laimburg Agricultural Research Centre. Her husband, Erwin Eccli, himself an oenologist, was for many years in charge of cellar management advice and further training at the Research Centre. In 2014, the couple took over the farm from Anita's parents and has since focussed on wine production. Their vineyards now cover almost 2 hectares, which are divided into three sites. Moscato Giallo, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and several PIWI varieties are grown on the farm itself. "This location is somewhat cooler and offers the best conditions for aromatic, fresh wines with a hearty flavour and fine elegance," Anita Mitterer explains.

The second site, also on the moraine hills of Marlengo, is south-facing and so steep that only manual labour is possible. Here, the Schiava grapes grow on traditional pergolas. This site is particularly close to the heart of the wine-growing couple. The third site is located near the bottom of Marlengo hill and is therefore somewhat lower. “Here, we grow dark red varieties, such as Lagrein, Merlot and Tannat, which are suitable for deep and characterful wines," Erwin Eccli states.

A total of around 12,000 bottles are filled each year at the Pardellerhof in Marlengo. And even though winemaking here was only revitalised ten years ago, it can look back on a long winemaking tradition. The Pardellerhof is first mentioned in the records in 1285 and for around 120 years it was owned by the Bavarian monastery of Steingaden and was also its supplier of wines. In 1714, it was taken over by the ancestors of today's winegrowing family.

For more than twenty years, Karl Kasseroller has run the Strickerhof in Frangarto in the community of Appiano organically. The broad reaching effects which that has on the environment have been proven by a study from the University of Innsbruck. It shows that in none of the estate wineries that were studied were so many soil organisms found as in the soils of the Strickerhof.

The estate winery in Frangarto has been in the possession of the Kasseroller family since 1834, but in the beginning it still carried the name Schlafferhof. Only when a new farmhouse was built next to the old one in 1907 did it get the name Strickerhof, as well as its own winery. Josef Paul Kasseroller was responsible for both of them at that time, and today the selected Strickerhof wines carry his initials JPK .

While the foundation was laid in 1907 for a flourishing operation, a decisive step for development followed nearly a hundred years later, taken by today’s proprietor Karl Kasseroller. In 1998, he converted the entire operation to organic cultivation. “It was a decision based upon conviction, and I am proud that since that time, we have been able to offer our customers organic products at the highest level,” Kasseroller says.

The assortment from the Strickerhof includes such classic varieties as Chardonnay, Schiava, and Lagrein, but also Yellow Muscat and the fungus-resistant variety Bronner. And they all feel right at home on the warm, humus-rich, sandy loam soils of the Strickerhof. As much at home as the numerous soil organisms, apparently.

For nearly four hundred years, grapes have been grown at the Prackfolerhof in Aica di Fiè. That is all the more remarkable when you think that no one would connect either Fiè allo Sciliar or Aica di Fiè with grapevines or wine. At least, not right away...

...And that is completely reasonable, since even at the Prackfolerhof in Aica di Fiè, what is needed is time, lots of time, to get to wine here. The farm was first mentioned in a document in 1429, and “only” around two hundred years later, and thus starting from the seventeenth century, were grapes planted here and wine made.

And that is no accident. In contrast to the heart of the village of Fiè, the area of Aica di Fiè is located at around 600 meters above sea level on a sun-drenched slope on which high temperatures are reached during the day through the vegetation period, while thanks to the elevation, it cools down comparatively sharply at night. “These temperature differentials along with the moraine soils over the volcanic Bolzano quartz-porphyry base offer the best conditions for winegrowing and high-quality wines,” Patrick Planer explains.

He holds responsibility for the wine, and that means: from the vines to the glass, every step is taken at the Prackfolerhof in Aica di Fiè solely and independently along the path to fresh, elegant, mineral-rich wines. Bound by tradition. And committed to it.

Innovation yes, tricks no. When what is concerned is the further development of wines that are typical for the region, a clear line is followed at the Obermoser Estate Winery in Bolzano-Santa Maddalena. A line that was already prescribed by the forefathers of Thomas Rottensteiner more than a century ago.

Since 1890, the Obermoser Estate Winery has been in the possession of the Rottensteiner family, and since that time, the family has distinguished itself by not being so inclined to follow the well-trodden path. As early as 1929, Franz J.C. Rottensteiner had already launched the idea for an irrigation system that would provide water not only to his own vineyards, but to all of those surrounding them. The idea caught on, and Rottensteiner became the father of the first large-scale winegrowing irrigation system in all of Europe.

So being open to new ideas is in the blood of Thomas Rottensteiner, generation number five at the Obermoser Estate Winery. “For generations, we have been concentrating on the care, further development, and intensification of wines that are typical to the region – without tricks, but rather through innovation,” he says. Within that context, all of the innovations serve the promotion of the quality and individuality of the wines. And thus also of the grapes.

The latter grow in two areas that are far apart from each other. The larger of the two lies predominantly within the classic Santa Maddalena zone in Bolzano, while the smaller is in the core zone of the Lake Caldaro cultivation zone. Together, the two of them provide the raw material every year for around 34,000 bottles: from the classic Santa Maddalena to Lagrein and Cabernet all the way to Sauvignon Blanc.

Selling wine twice with three hundred years in between. At the Haidenhof in Cermes, wine was already being sold out of the cellar in the eighteenth century. The winery is still there, and the Erb family has been selling wine again since 2006. Their own, mind you, and not just out of the cellar.

Around 15,000 bottles are produced every year by three generations who currently run the operation together at the Haidenhof in Cermes. And with success. “Over the past fifteen years, we have steadily increased the quality of our wines and also expanded the number of varieties,” explains Johann Karl Erb.

Today there are eight varieties that carry the Haidenhof label. Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Kerner, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Schiava, Pinot Noir, and Diva “Every variety requires a special processing and aging,” Erb says, although he also attaches even greater importance to another topic: the selection of the right point in time for the harvest. Only when that is attained is the entire potential of a vintage available.

Erb attributes the wines from the Haidenhof as being rather fruity and full-bodied in style and thus having their own profiles. These are formed not in the winery, but rather already in the steep vineyard situated at an elevation of 450 meters with its loamy soil and Mediterranean climate. This is the place where the raw materials grow for the wines of the Haidenhof, and thus the raw materials for the continuation of a three hundred year tradition. After a pause.

The Ritterhof Estate Winery in Caldaro can assert that it is the best place for Alto Adige winegrowing. Or that it has the best address. After all, the building number says it all: Alto Adige Wine Route No. 1.

Eva Kaneppele run the family estate winery with care, prudence, consideration, and a philosophy that can best be expressed with colors. “Brown stands for the soil, the origin, the terroir; green means growth and symbolizes our careful approach to nature; while blue stands for the grapes that are harvested by hand and with care,” explains Eva Kaneppele.

And the three colors also correspond to the three lines of the estate winery. Brown is the color of the Terra line, and thus of down-to-earth Alto Adige wines, while green decorates the Collis line for which only completely mature grapes from the best terraced slopes are used. Blue, on the other hand, stands for the top line Rarus, consisting of wines that are carefully aged in small oak casks. But it doesn’t matter which line or which color: “Our wines have character. Every bottle is unique.”

And uniqueness is provided by the vineyards of the Ritterhof, which are distributed from Salorno all the way up to Renon. The product line is extremely broad, ranging from Red Muscat to Merlot and Lagrein all the way to Pinot Noir and Gewürztraminer. And, it goes without saying, Schiava. That is a bow to the winegrowing tradition by the Ritterhof Estate Winery. And innovation is provided by the fungus-resistant varieties with which the Ritterhof Winery is experimenting.

The Mumelter family has been living at the Griesbauerhof in Santa Maddalena above Bolzano since 1785, so the estate winery is now being run by its seventh generation. It is represented by Lukas Mumelter, who took over his parent’s estate in 2018 – with the best preparation.

Lukas laid his professional foundation with the study of winegrowing and oenology in Geisenheim, Germany, after which he gathered practical experience: in Tuscany, Piemonte, and New Zealand. All of this has now flowed together in the vineyards and the winery of the Griesbauerhof, starting with a professional evaluation of the location and soils: “The airy location and the sandy loam soils of a porphyry origin characterize our wines,” Mumelter explains, “with both the alluvial soils at the south of Bolzano and the moraine soils in Appiano.”

These soils, the locations he described, and the diligence with work in the vineyards all come together in the harvest of Cabernet, Merlot, Lagrein, Schiava, and Pinot Grigio, which he turns into fruity, velvety, authentic wines. These can be tasted at the farmhouse inn “Freiraum mumi” which is run by Lukas’ brother Michael and which is supplied by their mother Margareth Mumelter with homegrown tomatoes – some thirty different varieties.

But even with all that variety, the main attention of the Griesbauerhof still goes to tradition. Thus Lukas Mumelter indicates the goal of his work: “To make great wines from the indigenous varieties of Schiava and Lagrein.” So even if he feels at home anywhere in the world, his roots will always be in Bolzano.

If the search is for three terms that most accurately describe the Unterhofer Estate Winery in Pianizza di Sopra, they would indeed be: tied to nature, determined, and family-run.

Let’s start with the term “family-run”: the Unterhofer Estate Winery is a family operation, and thus one in which not only has the operating family given its name by bearing the brunt of the work on their own shoulders, the wines that come into existence here are also imprinted with their very own stamp. At the same time, the term “family-run” describes a second aspect: the manageability, that “good things come in small packages”.

The term “tied to nature” fits the Unterhofer Estate Winery because the entire philosophy is oriented toward this. “We work our largely very steep, airy slopes as close to nature as possible,” explains winegrower Thomas Unterhofer, “and we also view ourselves as caretakers of the landscape.”

Landscape caretakers who in any case also produce wine with passion. And, in so doing, have clear goals in focus – so “determined”. Thus the motto applies in the winery to also bring the high grape quality that was achieved in the vineyards into the bottles. The results are expressive wines which, with the exception of Schiava, are for the most part white: Kerner, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Blanc. “Our wines are character wines,” Unterhofer adds, “unique, reflective of their vintage, and with a very personal signature.”

For three generations, the Andergassen family has been making wine in the wine cellar of the Steflhof estate in Caldaro, and two of them are still at the helm even today: the senior with a watchful eye on tradition, and the junior with one on innovation. But it doesn’t matter whether it is father or son: the credo at the Steflhof is that a vintage already has its beginning in the vineyard. “That is where the bouquet and the individuality of the wine are decided,” explains Georg Andergassen.

So it is certainly no wonder how much value the Andergassens place upon the leaf trimming, but above all else on a strict reduction of harvest quantities and the correct harvest time. “Hitting these is a challenge every year,” says Georg. And this challenge is only to be met with a great deal of knowledge and experience, just as a great deal of experience and knowledge about the taste of the customers is needed in order to find the right time for pumping, blending, and bottling.

The fact that the Andergassens have the right knack for this is proven by their wines, first and foremost a fruity Chardonnay, a Lake Caldaro superiore with fine tones of almond, and a full-bodied Merlot that is aged in oak barrels. Anyone wishing to be convinced of the constantly high quality of the wines at the Steflhof would do best with a winery tour. And that concludes traditionally – how could it be any different? – with a tasting.

Wine and mountains have a lot in common. They can be exciting, challenging, fulfilling. Pressing a good wine is like scaling a peak. It requires hard work, determination, expertise, and routine.

Erste+Neue have broken new ground time and again for over a century, combining Alto Adige wine culture and tradition with innovation. Always on the lookout for new paths to take, we have ventured to undertake many a first ascent and made history in the Alto Adige wine scene. We were founded in 1986 following the merger of two wineries, Erste Kellerei (1900) and Neue Kellerei (1925), and entered into yet another trendsetting union in 2016 with Cantina Kaltern.

Today, Erste+Neue stands for premium Alpine wines pressed in harmony with nature and using state-of-the-art technology, complemented by a generational legacy of expertise and love of experimentation.

“Anyone who has specialized in the production of natural wines has to accompany the wine along its entire path.” Thomas Niedermayr of the estate winery of the same name in Appiano views himself as just such a companion, as someone who wishes to guarantee purity and wants to support nature in its own production. “In the end,” his credo goes, “nature is the highest form of quality.”

The fact that top-quality wines can only come from grapes that are grown in a healthy environment is obvious for Niedermayr. For that reason, he manages his Gandberg estate ecologically. Growing and thriving between the grapevines, the visitor is greeted by chickens and runner ducks, the vines themselves are fungus-resistant, and the use of chemicals and other artificial aids is avoided. “We leave room for nature,” Niedermayr says.

In the case of the Gandberg Hof, nature starts right around the farmhouse. The vineyards are located at an elevation between 500 and 530 meters. Their microclimate is influenced on one hand by the ice holes and on the other hand by the Gandberg mountain itself, which rises up behind the farmhouse.

The special natural features and the sustainable management can be tasted in the wines from the Thomas Niedermayr Eppan Winery in Appiano. And that should also be tasted, says Niedermayr. “My entire commitment is targeted toward my wines radiating that which accompanies and guides their creation process” the winegrower says: “tranquility and relaxation, depth and the force of nature, lightheartedness and the pleasure of enjoyment.”

How can an operation that was founded in 2005 have deep roots? The Bellutti Vineyard Estate in Termeno shows how it’s done: with an uncompromising path to the highest quality and their concentration on indigenous varieties. Exclusively indigenous varieties.

So the Bellutti Vineyard Estate is not even twenty years old, and with grape growing areas of 2.8 hectares in Termeno, it is also substantially manageable. And because the vineyard area is small, the product line is also not exhaustive. But that also has a second reason: winegrower Christian Bellutti concentrates only on indigenous varieties – on Lagrein, on Lago di Caldaro and thus Schiava, and on Gewürztraminer. Above all else Gewürztraminer.

The local varieties have the advantage of finding their optimal terroir here, and in the winery, Bellutti places great value upon it being possible to taste this terroir in the wines. “Our goal is to produce single varietal, elegant, genuine wines that do not have an overpowering effect and which reflect the individual varieties and locations as well as the vintage,” he explains.

For Bellutti, an uncompromising orientation toward the highest quality is furthermore necessary. In both the vineyard and the winery, the work is carried out with expertise, commitment, modern technology, and a love of detail. In the end, therefore, by following traditional, tried and true values.

Only with the sales does Bellutti follow an unusual path: the wines from his vineyard estate go over the counter in his own wine bar. But it is not within the property of the vineyard estate, but rather right in the middle of Termeno – at the main town square.

It was only in 2019 that Stephan Rohregger took over the Prälatenhof Estate Winery in Caldaro from his parents. But to believe that the young winegrower was lacking in experience would be totally wrong. After all, not only did Rohregger have an education as an oenologist behind him, he also had a huge amount of experience as winemaker at a large, renowned private winery in Alto Adige.

Rohregger describes himself as “determined and quality-oriented.” In concrete terms, that means: the goal is quality and the winegrower and winemaker in one consistently heads for it. “All wines are made by us in a characteristic and authentic manner in ceramic or wood and are matured for at least a year,” Rohregger says. That which is created are not only wines of high quality, but also those with a high degree of recognition value. They are also not mainstream, but rather wines which reflect well the vineyards of the Prälatenhof Estate Winery in Pianizza di Sotto in the community of Caldaro.

These vineyards are described by the winegrower at the Prälatenhof in Caldaro with the term “very interesting”. On one hand, the vineyards are located in Caldaro at an elevation of 440 meters. Schiava is grown there on vines that are up to 90 years old, as is Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. On the other hand, the Prälatenhof had vineyards in the community of Cortaccia, and specifically in Corona, at 800 meters above sea level, where Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc grapes are grown. Two vineyards, two completely different locations, five grape varieties, and yet just one challenge for the three generations of Rohreggers at the tenuta Rohregger: to produce top-quality wines.

Grapes have been grown in Cermes since the twelfth century, the Kränzelhof has existed since the fourteenth century, and winegrowing has been an important pillar since the 1500s. And today? Today, Franz von Pfeil upholds the tradition, grows grapes and makes wine at the Ansitz Kränzelhof in Cermes, and combines that with art.

“For me, art and the enjoyment of exquisite wine have a lot in common,” von Pfeil says. “Wine works of art live, they are created through the inspiration of a master and the hands of all those who accompany the transformation of the wine.” If we stay with the image, then the vineyards of the Kränzelhof are something like the canvas upon which the wine works of art develop. A six hectare-sized canvas.

The grapevines of the Kränzelhof grow on loose moraine soils and are tended especially gently. Thus artificial fertilizers and herbicides are avoided, while field and meadow flowers between the rows of grapevines provide sustainable life in the vineyard. “In addition, we reduce the yields per hectare that are allowed by removing leaves in arduous work by hand, trimming shoots, and cutting away grapes,” von Pfeil says.

In that way, and thanks to thrifty cellar techniques that are used, wines are created with crisp acidity that are described as “savory, full of body, aromatic, and conducive to aging.” “We want to create individual wines that are filled with character,” says the winegrower from the Kränzelhof in Cermes, “wines in which the vintage and origin can be recognized, which are well received by connoisseurs, and which give them joy.” That is the art of winemaking.

In 1820, the Josef Weger Eppan Winery was founded in Cornaiano-Appiano. The founder’s name was, as may be expected, Josef Weger. Let’s call him Josef Weger I, because after him, three more gentlemen with the same name have stood at the head of the estate winery. Today, the Josef Weger Estate Winery in Cornaiano is run by the great-grandson of the founder. Can you guess what his name is? Wrong! His name is Johannes.

Josef Weger I was one of the pioneers of a professional winemaking and wine dealing operation in Alto Adige, and his descendants have successfully followed in the footsteps of the old gentleman. Even before the turn of the twentieth century, wine was delivered to Switzerland and all of the crownlands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and before the First World War, a branch was even founded in East Tyrol. After the two wars, the growth of the estate winery continued, and vacation apartments were set up in the twelfth century manor house.

Johannes Weger has been active in the estate winery since the 1990s and has run it since 2015. Under his leadership, the winery was renovated and new grape varieties were planted, above all else Burgundy varieties. They are ideal for the vineyards of the Josef Weger Estate Winery. They are located at elevations from 435 to 600 meters in and around Cornaiano and provide grapes for white and red wines which Weger makes as single varietals that emphasize terroir: with gentle pressing operations, temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, and cold maceration.

“In our wines, the interplay between landscape and climate should be reflected, as should the soul of the winegrower.” Weger says. And it is not surprising when he adds, “Our wines are the expression of years of experience that are transferred from generation to generation.” And from Josef Weger to Josef Weger. And to Johannes.

“Working with nature means making compromises, compromises between acting and letting go. This balancing act is our daily challenge.” Since 2011, Marlies and Martin Abraham have been walking along this narrow tightrope. Since that time, they have been growing grapes themselves in the vineyards of the Abraham Estate Winery in San Michele-Appiano, saying, “If we are successful with the balancing act, then great wines emerge.”

For these “great wines”, we can also thank the variety of locations that the Abraham Estate Winery has. Their vineyards are scattered between San Paolo, San Michele, and Cornaiano at elevations from 450 to 700 meters. And because every vineyard has its own special features, the Abrahams have seen to it that only the most suited grape varieties grow in each one.

And with the selection of them, they also go back to tradition. Thus the vineyard above San Paolo has been planted for more than sixty years with Pinot Blanc. The grapevines in Appiano also have deep roots. In the hamlet of Weißhaus, the grandfather of today’s operator had already planted Pinot Blanc as early as 1955. And the small-berried Schiava grapes also grow between Appiano and Cornaiano on vines that are more than fifty years old.

So time seems to play a particular role at the Abraham Estate Winery. Because they take their time not only in the vineyards, but also inside the winery. Particular attention is paid to time: that, too, is part of the balancing act between acting and letting go.

Heiner Pohl calls his Marinushof in Castelbello “an agricultural start-up enterprise.” And the description comes not by chance. For two reasons: first of all, it originates from a former marketing manager who, secondly, built the estate winery out of nothing.

Let’s turn to the ex-manager: Heiner Pohl was in his late thirties when he crossed over into agriculture. “Up to this very day, I am grateful for this decision every single day,” Pohl says, “including because I built up my operation myself out of nothing, and everything sprang out of my ideas and my ideals.” So it is a start-up in the truest sense of the word which, however, brings satisfaction more at the spiritual level than the financial one. “It’s hard, but it’s very gratifying,” he says.

The vineyards of the Marinushof lie on terraces on steep slopes that are pampered by the Val Venosta sunshine – and by cool nights. “It is precisely the temperature differentials between day and night in the autumn that bring finesse and excitement to our wines,” explains Pohl, who calls his operation a factory. But in the end, the vineyards are for the most part tended by hand.

The product line of the Marinushof consists of varieties that feel right at home in the Val Venosta: Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Grigio. “Our wines are characterized by harmony and naturalness, and they age very well,” says the winegrower. And for all those who are perhaps not so familiar with wine vocabulary: “These wines make you most prefer to drink the whole bottle without stopping.”