Vinařství v Jižním Tyrolsku

A lovely manor, a wine history going back more than seven hundred years, and the history of the settlement dating back a full two thousand years: all of that may be found at the Kornellhof in Settequerce, which has been run by Florian Brigl since 1996. For nearly twenty years now, he has made his own wines and has set himself the goal of creating an Alto Adige Super Merlot.

The basis for the wine production at Kornellhof is formed by the vineyards of the Brigl family, 11 hectares at elevations from 270 to 550 meters in Settequerce, Appiano-Monte, and Kampenn. “Our grapes enjoy more than 2,100 hours of sunshine per year, while cool nights provide the temperature differentials that lend them their prominent character,” Brigl explains.

The grapes that are pampered in this way form the foundation for the wines of the Kornellhof. After fermentation in stainless steel tanks, they are aged for 14 to 18 months in small oak casks and large oak barrels. Before they can be sold, though, they age again for nearly ten months in the bottle. In addition to Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Gewürztraminer along with Lagrein and Cabernet Sauvignon, Brigl focuses above all else on Merlot, with which he pursues an ambitious goal: to create a Super Merlot, an Alto Adige Pomerol which will serve as the calling card of the Kornellhof.

So there are no sour grapes in the process at the Kornellhof. Brigl considers working with them to be a privilege. And a guiding force: “For me, Kornell means home, this is my pole of calm,” he says, adding, “The estate winery also has to continue to be both home and a source of energy for our children and future generations.”

Strong vineyards and wines in which the terroir identity can be tasted: that is what distinguishes the Malojer Gummerhof Winery. It lies in the rural northern part of Bolzano and can look back on a long history. For five generations, the focus has consistently been on quality and identity.

When Bolzano was still small and manageable, the Gummerhof was located right in the middle of a landscape of vineyards, fields, and meadows. That was in 1480, when the farm was mentioned for the first time in a document. Precisely four hundred years later, Joseph Trafojer purchased the winegrowing farmhouse and step by step converted it into a winery and distillery. When his granddaughter, who had married into the Malojer family, took over the operation in the late 1940s, the name of the operating family may have changed, but the recipe for success stayed the same.

This was built upon two pillars. One of them is the rigorous policy of quality that has been followed for decades, while the other is the terroir identity that it should be possible to taste in Gummerhof wines. The result is a broad palette of wines with strong character: Cabernet, Merlot, Lagrein, Pinot Noir, Schiava, Müller Thurgau, Sylvaner, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Blanc.

Depending upon the variety, the wines are aged in stainless steel tanks, in small oak casks, or in the old large oak barrels that are handed down from generation to generation. Each of them imparts a character to the wines that is unmistakable – as it should be. That is also what Urban Malojer, winemaker of the family winery, says. “Our goal is to constantly be improving our wines and to make them more and more typical.”

Wine and its production have a great deal to do with values. And Andreas Theiner must have also thought that. Before he took over his family’s historical estate with Plars Castle in Lagundo in 2003, he was a banker.

As unusual as the change from the teller’s window to the vineyard may be is how simple the explanation is that Theiner provides. “Wine is my passion”, he says, “and even though I had pursued a completely different professional career, it made my love of wine even stronger.” And that may also have to do with the fact that passion for wine is in the genes of the Theiners. Andreas’ grandfather Franz had already studied at the Winegrowing Technical College in Klosterneuburg near Vienna – back in 1895! In 1911, he returned to South Tyrol, he acquired the Plars Castle estate in Lagundo, produced wines for the rest of his life, and in the end handed the estate down to his son Karl, who expanded it.

Finally, in 2003, Andreas took over the castle and concentrated on the production of quality wines. The conditions for them are ideal: the vineyards in Plars di Mezzo, situated at 450 meters above sea level, benefit from a great deal of sun and a constant breeze. “This climate is ideal for a Sauvignon Blanc that is extremely strong in character, but also for Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Schiava, Lagrein, and Merlot,” Theiner explains.

In the winery, a gentle processing of the grapes and careful handling of the wine are important to him, because, “Only in that way are we successful in having the individuality and essence of the vineyard finding their way into the wines.” And that’s also what passion for wine sounds like.

A castle, an estate winery, a family of counts: what sounds like the abridged version of the plot from a dime novel is in fact that of the Englar Castle Estate Winery in San Michele-Appiano, which has been in the possession of the Khuen-Belasi counts since 1640. After a pause of more than eighty years, in 2012 they began making wine here themselves once again from their own grapes.

Because Englar Castle is found in San Michele-Appiano and thus in an area that is virtually predestined for winegrowing, grapes have from the very beginning been a part of the economic pillars of the castle estate. Up until 1930, the Khuen-Belasi counts also ran their own winery which, however, was then shut down. For more than eighty years, the grapes from Englar were then supplied to the cooperative wineries until a little less than ten years ago, when Count Johannes Khuen-Belasi began to once again make the castle wines.

“Our goal is excellent wines, and they require grapevines that grow harmoniously in a healthy environment,” says Khuen-Belasi, describing the philosophy that he follows at the Englar Castle Estate Winery in San Michele-Appiano. What results from them is a prudent selection of varieties that is coordinated with the soils and climate, cultivation methods that are close to nature, gentle work processes, and a corresponding control of harvest yields. “We intentionally reduce the yield per hectare, and specifically to match each corresponding grapevine, in order to be able to harvest top-quality grapes,” says the castle winegrower.

A total of seven hectares of grape growing areas belong to the Englar Estate Winery. They are planted with Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, and Schiava. A traditional assortment for a traditional estate winery.

The Pitsch am Bach Estate Winery in Bolzano lies between Santa Giustina and Santa Maddalena, and therefore right where the Santa Maddalena wine originated. And apropos of origins: the farmhouse itself dates back to the fourteenth century, and its first owner was neither a farmer nor the clergy, and not even someone from South Tyrol.

The farm was first mentioned in a document from 1350, and specifically as the property of a banker from Florence named Boccia. Over the course of the centuries, the Italian name that was unusual for South Tyrolean tongues was gradually adapted to the local language usage until “Boccia” turned into “Pitsch”.

Today, Paul Schweigkofler and his family are now the eighth generation to run the Pitsch am Bach Estate Winery. The 3.4 hectares of vineyards lie on slopes with a southwestern exposure at an elevation of around 300 meters on dry alluvial gravel deposits with a high degree of sand and a medium humus content. The best conditions above all else for Lagrein and Schiava from which – it goes without saying! – a classic Santa Maddalena is also made at Pitsch am Bach. In addition to that, Gewürztraminer and Yellow Muscat are also grown.

“We take care of our vines as naturally as possible and with the vinification, as well, we pay attention to traditional techniques,” Schweigkofler adds. So it can be seen that the long history of the farmhouse, the family tradition, and the Santa Maddalena background have all deeply left their mark at Pitsch am Bach in Bolzano. And they reach all the way into the daily work.

In the winegrowing village of Cornaiano, it’s always appropriate to have passion for wine – but of course only if the passion has already been in the family. With Lorenz Martini, that is precisely the case. He earned his stripes in the family’s own winery and then took the next step: to sparkling wine.

Within that context, it goes without saying that his many years of experience came in useful, and the fact that he had started from the very bottom up to learn to work with his hands. And from all of this it can be seen not least from the fact that Martini consistently focuses on quality. In his winery specializing in sparkling wines, grapes from Cornaiano, Appiano-Monte, and Cologna are processed. “In spite of the Mediterranean climate, these locations provide our sparkling wine with a pleasant freshness and an unmistakable aroma,” Martini says.

To make the sparkling wine, he uses 30 percent Chardonnay, another 30 percent Pinot Blanc, and 40 percent Pinot Noir, with four vintages aging in his vaulted cellar at the same time. Because in the Lorenz Martini Winery dedicated to sparkling wines in Cornaiano, production is according to the classic méthode champenoise bottle fermentation, so the wine is on the yeast for three years. After that, it continues to age in the bottle, with each one being riddled by hand.

In that way, a sparkling wine is created which has been described by experts as “having a scent of fresh bread crust and honeycomb with light tones of citrus fruit” and “a good mouth-feel, full-bodied, and harmonious in taste.”

Sparkling wine which, as can be read by this description, awakens the poet in us.

History consists mostly of rock. At the Larcherhof in Bolzano-Rencio, for instance, the wines age in large wooden barrels in a cellar that dates back centuries. But even more impressive are the powerful Lagrein grapevines of the Larcherhof which themselves are more than a hundred years old. As can been seen with them, history lives.

The vineyards of the Larcherhof in Bolzano-Rencio belong to the classic Santa Maddalena cultivation zone which is distinguished by a mild, nearly Mediterranean climate, by hot days and cool nights at the time of maturation, and by warm porphyry soils and loose alluvial soils. The Spögler family has five hectares of grape growing area here. “We manage our vineyards in an environmentally-friendly way that is close to nature, without herbicides or insecticides,” explains Hans Jochen Spögler.

The vineyards are planted with Merlot, Schiava, and Pinot Grigio. And above all with Lagrein, which is to be understood as such a typical variety for Alto Adige. From the vineyards of the Larcherhof in Bolzano-Rencio, it is made into wines of different forms: Lagrein, Lagrein Kretzer rosé, Lagrein Riserva. The winegrowing tradition of the Spögler family, which runs the Larcherhof, dates back to 1893. But only since 2008 have they been making and bottling their own wines. In the meantime, production has risen to 45,000 bottles per year, a figure that will continue to grow further in coming years.

For more than thirty years, Ignaz and Elisabeth Niedrist have been running their estate in Cornaiano, which lies in the midst of one of the classic winegrowing zones of our province and thus has the best conditions for the production of quality wines. The vineyards are located in three different cultivation areas: Cornaiano, Appiano-Monte, and Gries.

Although they are relatively close to each other, they differ fundamentally in their properties. Among other things, it is this contrast and variety which lend the wines their expression and excitement. “Our main attention goes to the soils and the particularities of the individual vineyards,” says Ignaz Niedrist. “We try to bring soil, plant, and our actions into harmony. Work is done with great dedication, with attention to nature and in a sustainable way.” Ignaz Niedrist, his wife Elisabeth, and their children Maria, Franz, and Johannes all make the effort to continue to educate themselves and use their knowledge in the best possible way. A great degree of intuition and intense experience in the vineyard are very important to them.

Work with the soil is done as gently as possible. And thus in the carefully renovated cellar of the Niedrist Estate Winery in Cornaiano, lively, harmonious wines with character are created. The red assortment includes Pinot Noir, Lagrein, Merlot, and Lago di Caldaro superiore. With the white wines, the Niedrist Estate Winery focuses on Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Riesling.

Eight hectares, eight grape varieties. Well, this correspondence may well be purely coincidental, but otherwise Andreas Huber at the Pacherhof in Novacella near Bressanone leaves little up to chance. Rather, what reigns here are competence, commitment, passion, and the heritage of wine pioneers.

One of them was Josef Huber, the grandfather of Andreas who runs the estate today. Both have wine in their blood, as the Hubers’ Pacherhof in Novacella has existed since 1142. For his part, Grandpa Josef undertook quite a number of voyages of discovery on which he came across the knowledge that for the soils and steep slopes of the Valle Isarco, Sylvaner, Pinot Grigio, and Gewürztraminer would be the most suitable grape varieties. He was the first one to focus on Kerner, and today the assortment of wines from the Valle Isarco cannot be imagined without it.

But Andreas Huber does not follow in these admittedly big footsteps without preparation. He went and got educated at the Veitshöchheim winemaking school near Würzburg, Germany and today, with his competence and know-how, he sets the tone in the vineyard and winery.

Under Huber’s leadership, dry wines are created today at the Pacherhof in Novacella with a prominent fruit and a definite mineral quality. “In order for the characteristics of the vines and the earth to be maintained, we focus on gentle processing and intentionally avoid maturation in small oak casks,” explains the winegrower-slash-winemaker.

The legacy of his grandfather is therefore still alive today, even in the selection of varieties. So what grows at the Pacherhof in addition to Müller Thurgau, Grüner Veltliner, and Pinot Grigio are also Riesling and Sylvaner. And, of course, Kerner. In Grandpa’s name.

An estate winery also lives from strong personalities. The Castel Juval Unterortl Estate Winery in Castelbello at the entrance to the Val Senales has three at the same time: the king of mountain climbing, Reinhold Messner, is the owner, and Gisela and Martin Aurich run it as tenants. Three heads for one estate winery, so to speak.

While Reinhold Messner most likely needs no further introduction, in the context of his estate winery it is worthwhile to take a closer look at the Aurichs. They have dedicated themselves to wine and distilled spirits since 1992. In the Castel Juval Unterortl Estate Winery, they are responsible for 30,000 bottles that are produced here year after year: Müller Thurgau, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir, whose very particular character is passionately looked after by the Aurichs. As their credo goes, in the end it should be possible to taste the characteristics of the grape variety, the soil, and the microclimate.

Their newest child is a rosé, with the description of which Martin Aurich waxes eloquently, “Our Pinot Noir rosé is salmon-colored, stimulating, and multifacetedly fruity, its flavor is seductively full and lasting,” says the winegrower, who has taken under his wing the production not only of wine, but also of grappa at the Castel Juval Unterortl Estate Distillery.

With Martin and Gisela Aurich, the threads are woven together of the Castel Juval Unterortl Estate Winery and Estate Distillery. In the castle, they are the winegrowers and distillers of the king. The king of mountain climbing, but a king nevertheless.

WeineWolf – the product of a passion for nature. “Making wine from what Mother Nature provides” – that is the philosophy that persuaded Wolfgang Ladurner to become a vintner. What was originally a dream developed over the years into a project and was finally fulfilled in the form of a winery of his own. As a boy, he spent many days in the vineyards and became familiar with the rhythm of the vines. In 1990 Wolfgang Ladurner founded W.Ladurner GmbH, a company that specialized in importing and selling recycling plants. But at the back of his mind he was always dreaming of making his own wine. In 2002 he moved a step closer to his goal by buying a first plot of land, which he started to cultivate in 2004.

How he was going to do it was clear from the start: His vineyard was to be terraced and laid out for dense planting to obtain optimum results from the site. Step by step, he hunted out other sites in Caldaro that had the location, climate and soil to offer ideal conditions for wine-growing. With the foundation of the WeineWolf company in 2013, Wolfgang Ladurner’s childhood dream of making wine out of a passion for nature finally came true. His next goal is to build his own cellar, a project that will bring the Ladurner family and lovers of wines from WeineWolf still closer together.

Stroblhof is a farm (‘maso’) with a long viticultur tradition: as early as 1600 documents mention winegrowing at this estate. It seems that from these early times, grapes were grown here at the base of the steep cliffs of the Mendelpass and benefitted from the optimal soils and unique diurnal temperatures variation.

We continue to work hard at this farm – both in the vineyards and the cellars – with the single minded scope of producing top quality wine. The low and select production allows us to guarantee the high quality of the wines. In fact, from 5.5 hectares, we only produce a maximum of 40,000 bottles, half of which is white, the other red. The altitude of 500 meters above sea level is an additional advantage to producing wines of unique character, good acidity, and with a good aging potential.

Stroblhof ranks with the top estates of South Tyrol and is the founding member of the small growers association, “Vignaioli dell’Alto Adige.”

With an area of six hectares, the Jöchler famliy at the Tschiedererhof in Varna grows apples, grapes, and vegetables. The grapes are for the most part processed through a cooperative winery, but they make their own interesting wine from a small portion of them. And what is unusual for the Valle Isarco: they are red.

The community of Varna lies on a south-facing glacial moraine in the Valle Isarco which is known in the wine world for its white wines. Sylvaner, Kerner, Müller-Thurgau, Gewürztraminer: they all find the best conditions here and see to it that the northernmost cultivation zone of Alto Adige has established itself on the winegrowing map.

But at the Tschiedererhof, they swim against the stream. Located for more than 200 years on the western side of the Varna glacial moraine, the estate has been in the possession of the Jöchler family for seven generations. They take care of not only the apple plantation and vegetable beds, but also the vineyard that is located at an elevation of around 600 meters. Within that context, “take care of” does not mean “only” a lot of work. It also means having passion in winegrowing. “On our estate, we tend everything ourselves with heart and soul and offer our products for sale in our farm shop,” the family says.

Processing their own raw materials into quality products runs through all of the agricultural areas that are covered by the Tschiedererhof in Varna. And the grapes are no exception – much to the joy of their red wine friends in the Valle Isarco. Or friends of Valle Isarco red wine.

“Class instead of mass” as the saying goes, but at the Jürgen Weitgruber Estate Winery in Merano-Maia Alta, that is a specification that is followed consistently. In the vineyard, in the winery, and in the no less than 1,500 hours of work by hand every year.

The district of Maia Alta in Merano lies somewhat above the center of the old capital of Tyrol, with its slopes being sundrenched and hot in the summer with the nights significantly cooler. The particular microclimate contributes to high grape quality and a broad spectrum of aromas in the wines that are obtained from them.

On top of that, the vineyards of the Jürgen Weitgruber Estate Winery are located at elevations between 300 and 600 meters and are therefore planted on very different soils: from fine sandy and warm to rocky with a rich skeleton. “So all of our grape varieties find the conditions that are suitable for their needs,” explains Weitgruber.
The estate winery’s product line comprises Pinot Blanc, Kerner, Schiava, Lagrein, Pinot Noir, and Regent, and what is made from them are crisp, fruity, fresh white and rosé wines and harmonious red wines filled with character. Wines that have to fulfill two characteristics in the philosophy of the Weitgruber family: “Our focus,” the winegrower explains, “lies in being and remaining authentic and providing people with joy in our wines.”

And that may sound like a platitude, but that, too, is pursued consistently at the Jürgen Weitgruber Estate Winery in Merano-Maia Alta: in the vineyard, in the winery, and in the 1,500 hours of work by hand every year.

“I’m just a small, passionate winegrower,” says Gerda Kiem. It’s just that anyone who is induced by that little word “small” to underestimate Kiem and her Mauslocherhof is making a mistake. A big mistake.

The Mauslocherhof is run by the winegrower according to clear guidelines. Kiem calls herself “an open-minded thinker who gets the best from nature with passion.” And that also means working sustainably and close to nature – both in the vineyard and in the winery. “For us, working sustainably is something which is self-evident,” the committed winegrower says, adding, “But we’ve always worked that way.”

The goal of the quality work at the Mauslocherhof is creating eloquent wines with a relationship to their zone which are authentic and have their own character. “They should be elegant, pleasant, balanced wines that reflect our commitment and our conscientious work in the vineyard and the winery,” Kiem explains. In order for it to be possible to achieve that, great value is placed at the Mauslocherhof in Cermes on an ideal selection of grape varieties. “For every plot of every single vineyard, we have considered for a long time and with great care which grape variety can best develop there,” the winegrower says.

And the care with the selection of varieties has led to a broad product line. On the red side, this encompasses Lagrein, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, and with the whites Gewürztraminer, Yellow Muscat, Pinot Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc. As has been stated, “small winegrowers” are not to be underestimated. Ever.

Baron Sigmund von Kripp founded the Stachlburg wine estate in 1990. This year the first vineyard was planted with Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder) and Chardonnay. Since 1992, red and white wines are pressed in our basement of Stachlburg. The castle itself is family owned since 1547.

The altitude of 650m demands special grape varieties, which, particularly on the Partschinser soil on the sunny south-facing hillside, produce exceptionally intense wines. With great care, all wines are aged and rested in our cellar in steel tanks or in barrels.
The wines are generally characterized by a particular fruitiness, an elegant acidity and a delicate structure. At times, also the fortunate exposition to the sun position and the careful thinning can produce fairly full-bodied wines. Other locations are found in the low-lying village of Andrian where with an altitude of only 300m, there is a privileged climate for rich and mineral wines.

The Köfererhof in Novacella works with special vineyards and under special conditions. At an elevation of nearly 800 meters, the climate is somewhat harsher, the temperature differentials between day and night are greater, and the grapes mature somewhat later than in the classic grape growing zones. But who says that all that has to be a disadvantage?

In any case, the Köfererhof in Novacella (in the community of Varna) is among the oldest winegrowing estates in the Valle Isarco. The ancients already knew to appreciate the harsh conditions here around the Novacella monastery. And so do Gaby and Günther Kerschbaumer, who today are responsible for the 5.5 hectare vineyards of the Köfererhof. “With certain work, harsh conditions are in no way negative,” says Günther Kerschbaumer, “and they even contribute to the creation of intense, mineral-rich, juicy, and complex white wines.”

As a passionate winegrower, he certainly knows that, and some 48,000 bottles of this wine leave the winery at the organically managed Köfererhof year after year. They are exclusively whites, first and foremost Sylvaner, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Müller Thurgau, and Kerner. The harvest of the latter provides particular challenges, since there is actually not one Kerner harvest, but rather three. “With the first one, especially fresh wine is made; with the second, the bulk is harvested, and with the third, a complex, complete wine is created,” Kerschbaumer says.

So that’s a lot of work under harsh conditions. But who says that all that has to be a disadvantage?

In the colorful mosaic of Alto Adige winegrowing, there are larger and smaller tiles. The Kiemberger Estate Winery in Terlano, with an annual production of just around 8,000 bottles, is among the smaller. Nevertheless, something would be missing if this tile weren’t there.

The Kiemberger Estate Winery is located in the winegrowing village of Terlano in the Adige Valley, with its vineyards in the village itself and in neighboring Andriano. On a total of just 1.5 hectares of grape growing areas, Chardonnay, Müller Thurgau, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc are grown, which form the basis for the classic Terlano wine. “The first three grow on a sandy-loamy limestone soil in Andriano, while the Sauvignon Blanc, on the other hand, is planted in Terlano, where it finds a sandy porphyry soil,” explains Norbert Kofler, winegrower at the Kiemberger Estate Winery.

Kofler has been making his own wines since 2007 and also markets them independently. “Our wines must first and foremost meet our own demands,” Kofler says. To do so, the grapes are harvested in the second half of September, they are pressed gently, and then the mash is fermented in stainless steel tanks at a constant temperature of 19 degrees Celsius. “Our wines are matured on the fine yeast, primarily in small and medium-sized oak casks, for at least eight months with the Terlano Classico and up to 32 months with the Lagrein Riserva,” the winegrower says.

The wines that are created in this way are “originals strong in character,” says Kofler, in which the properties of the soil and the vintage can be tasted. “Our wine is anything but mainstream,” the head of the small but impressive Kiemberger Estate Winery says. He goes on to add, “And yet it is somehow classic.”

For an impressive 27 years, Thomas Dorfmann was the winemaker at the Eisacktaler Winery. A dream job in the wine sector, and yet in 2018, he turned his back on it. The reason for the decision was an even bigger dream: that of his own estate winery.

And that dream was fulfilled on one of the warmest spots in the whole Valle Isarco, at which the former lord over the cooperative winery went independent with the Thomas Dorfmann Estate Winery in Velturno. With two hectares of grape growing areas at an elevation from 550 to 650 meters, the estate winery is small. The vineyards, up to 70 percent of which are steep, are surrounded by dry stone walls and tended only by the Dorfmann family.

“I can bring all of my experience and live out my own wine philosophy in my estate winery,” Dorfmann waxes enthusiastically, “and thus create wines that are specific to the area and the variety: through sustainable working of the vineyards and being extremely protective of quality in the winery.”

Because Dorfmann’s focus lies on typical Valle Isarco varieties, his product line is first and foremost white: Sylvaner, Grüner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer, and Riesling. But Dorfmann also grows and makes Pinot Noir – “a rarity in the Valle Isarco”, as he himself says. And there is another rarity at the Thomas Dorfmann Estate Winery in Velturno: the white wines are delivered with a screw-top. “For me, that is the seal of the future,” the winegrower says.

The Kettmeir Winery in Caldaro has existed since 1919. Or to put it better, the winery has existed since 1919, but they have also been making sparkling wine since 1964. Today, Kettmeir relies upon 60 suppliers who cover a broad winegrowing area. It ranges from Caldaro up to Soprabolzano on the Renon plateau in the north and down to Pochi above Salorno in the south.

Shortly after the end of the First World War, the agronomist Giuseppe Kettmeir built a winery in Caldaro. For nearly 50 years, the production of quality wines was the only pillar of the Kettmeir Winery, until the potential of sparkling wines was recognized in 1964. “As far as the production of sparkling wine is concerned, we are among the pioneers in Alto Adige and have made our contribution to reviving this tradition,” they say at the Kettmeir Winery.

Since 1986, this winery in Caldaro has belonged to the Santa Margherita winegrowing group, but the focus of its activity did not change with this event. Today, 60 winegrowers supply the winery with grapes that originate from 55 hectares of vineyards. The core is those in Caldaro, from which Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Red Muscat originate. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are also supplied by estates in Pochi, while the Ebnicherhof in Soprabolzano provides the winery with Müller Thurgau grapes.

Out of this diversity, Kettmeir creates exquisite sparkling wines – and since 1992 using only the classic méthode champenoise. “It is the most complex way of producing sparkling wine,” they say at the winery, “but also the most elegant.”

If someone is looking for a suitable location for a winery specializing in sparkling wine, then a former monastery would be right at the top of the list. And the Braunbach Winery specializing in sparkling wine in Settequerce near Bolzano is housed precisely in one of them. And because there is an obligation to tradition, the sparkling wine here is produced strictly according to the classic méthode champenoise bottle fermentation.

The history of the monastery building in Settequerce goes back over 800 years. Presented as a gift from the bishop of Bressanone to the Teutonic Order, at some point it had to be abandoned. But in order for it not to fall into disrepair, the former monastery winery was renovated and the Braunbach Winery was set up in it. Its specialty, sparkling wine, is produced strictly according to the traditional process. And that means: aging on the yeast, manual riddling, and then the removal of the yeast from the bottles, known in the industry as “degorging”.

At Braunbach, they are especially proud of the classically fermented sparkling wine Braunbach Brut. “It matures for 36 months on the fine yeast and is captivating through its fine-grained perlage and its fresh, youthful, and stimulating character,” explains Hans Kleon, head of the Braunbach Winery specializing in sparkling wine.

in addition to sparkling wines, the Braunbach Winery also makes white and red wines: Merlot, Lagrein, Cabernet, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, and Gewürztraminer. And Kleon also knows their secret: “The geological and microclimatic conditions of our areas of cultivation provide the basis for juicy, quaffable, but also complex wines with a strong character of the zone,” he explains.

The name of the Villscheiderhof in Bressanone is derived from the Ladin language and refers to cutting hay with a sickle. Although that continues to grace the coat of arms of the farm, it is not used so often with winegrowing. At the Villscheiderhof, they focus on the white wine tradition of the Valle Isarco.

Since 1997, Florian Hilpold has run the Villscheiderhof in Bressanone, which he took over from his father, with its steep vineyards with southern and eastern exposures. “The soils here at an elevation of 700 meters are rocky, low in lime, not fertile, and water-permeable, and they produce very interesting wines,” says the winegrower.

The wines to which Florian and also his son Meinrad refer are first and foremost white, primarily Sylvaner, Kerner, and Riesling, which are typical varieties for the Valle Isarco. Some 25,000 bottles leave the winery each year, with part of the production being served up in the family’s own inn which was set up in 2004 in the Villscheiderhof’s former barn. Anyone who tastes the estate’s own wine there will notice that it is a fresh, fruity, elegant white wine with a good sugar to acidity balance. Winegrower Hilpold’s particular pride, though, is the late harvest passito from the Villscheiderhof. “It tastes like honey and candied fruits, an unending reverberation in the nose, an extraordinary combination of roasting aromas and the perfect sugar-acidity relationship,” says Hilpold, describing this particular wine.

When winegrowers go into raptures...

The A. von Elzenbaum Estate Winery in Termeno was mentioned in a document for the first time in 1530, and its wines officially won their first awards in 1886. So it is not surprising, then, that as a result of this, there is still a focus on tradition, on typical cultivation, and respect for nature, in view of their history that dates back nearly 500 years.

A tradition of that length could represent a burden to many, but for winegrower Josef von Elzenbaum, it is more of an obligation. He safeguards it in a tried and true, long-established manner, but at the same time he keeps his eyes open for new, innovative, interesting, and promising paths and techniques.

In spite of that, or maybe specifically because of that, the wines of the A. von Elzenbaum Estate Winery are rooted in their terroir. “For me, it first and foremost has to do with preserving the character of my wines that is typical of the location and carefully coordinating the selection of the variety to the location,” the winegrower says. Elevation, soil composition, microclimate: all of that has to be involved in the evaluation of a location in order to find the optimal grapevine.

This care with the matching has led over the years to a broad palette of wines which the A. von Elzenbaum Estate Winery has in its product line: Lagrein and Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Lago di Caldaro superiore, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Red Muscat. But it doesn’t matter which wine you sample: you will taste Termeno, you will taste A. von Elzenbaum.

Creating a typical wine: it sounds simple, but it’s actually highly complex. Because “Typical wines have to reflect the uniqueness of the grapevine, the soil, the microclimate, the people, the location, and the specific vintage,” says Hansjörg Donà, who is responsible for his family’s Donà Estate Winery in San Paolo.

Therefore, anyone who wants to create typical wines has to not only be familiar with the location, soil, and climate down to the last detail, but also know which grape variety feels especially at home where. At the Donà Estate Winery in San Paolo (in the community of Appiano), the decision was made for Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Blanc, and the indigenous varieties of Schiava and Lagrein. “The foundation of our wines is formed by the traditional grape varieties,” Donà explains.

The harvest also takes place traditionally. The grapes of the Donà Estate Winery are harvested by hand – with a great deal of commitment, help from the family, and particular attention to quality. “We focus on top-quality grapes, gentle and modern winemaking technology, and long-term, sustainable planning,” explains the winegrower, who brings his many years of experience and all of his wine know-how into the winery. The goal of the efforts is authentic wines with an independent character which, both with white wines and red wines, are aged in 500 liter medium-sized oak barrels.

The aging is also a part of creating an authentic, typical wine. Which sounds simple, as was said, but is actually highly complex.

The Kuenhof in Bressanone makes no less than four white wines, each filled with character. The grapes are grown on steep terraces on the slopes of Valle Isarco and vinified in the estate’s historic cellar, which is protected as a historic monument and has roots going back centuries. Eight centuries, in fact.

The Kuenhof in Bressanone was first mentioned in a document in the 12th century. Back then, like so many other Valle Isarco estates, it was owned by the bishop of Bressanone. For approximately 200 years now, however, the Pliger family has run things at the Kuenhof, which has been gradually transformed into a wine-growing estate. The last, most important step in that direction was taken in 1990: ever since then, the Kuenhof grapes have been pressed on-site and the estate wines marketed independently.

All that is made possible by the cultivation area of roughly six hectares. The steep south-east-facing terraces are located at an altitude of 550 to 890 meters. “The climate is rough, but it is virtually ideal for our whites,” explains Peter Pliger, who runs the Kuenhof together with his wife Brigitte and their son Simon. By “our whites,” he is referring to four varieties: Sylvaner, Riesling, Veltliner, and Gewürztraminer.

“It is very important to us that our wines are born from a well-balanced symbiotic relationship between humans, the cultured plant, and nature,” says Pliger. And this credo also includes vinification with natural yeasts, which makes the Kuenhof whites turn out particularly long-lived and digestible. “Long-lived” being the operative word here—considering the estate is 800 years old.

 

The tradition of winegrowing at the Tschötscherhof in Castelrotto has both a museum side and one that is most definitely still living. Thus not only is old agricultural equipment exhibited here, but their own wine is made, as well – both then and now with success.

For over a century, grapes have demonstrably been grown at the Tschötscherhof in the Castelrotto district of San Osvaldo, with just the venerable grapevine in front of the farmhouse being over a hundred years old and thus living proof of the winegrowing tradition. Within that context, the farmhouse with its grape growing areas is situated at an elevation of 750 meters. “Thanks to the southwestern exposure of the slope and the especially mild climatic conditions, though, it is in fact possible to achieve outstanding grape quality,” explains the young grower Andreas Jaider.

He is a trained winegrower and bears the responsibility for the wine pillar of the Tschötscherhof in Castelrotto. Under his aegis, their own wines are made at the estate for which Jaider has also won awards, including the white wines (Müller Thurgau, Sylvaner, Kerner, and Gewürztraminer) and the reds (Blauer Zweigelt and Pinot Noir).

The fact that he is standing on the shoulders of his forefathers with what he does is made clear not least by the Agricultural Museum which the elder boss Michael Jaider set up around 15 years ago in the estate’s barn. Old equipment tells of the early life on the farms in and around Castelrotto. And thus of the winegrowing tradition of this landscape which is otherwise characterized by the Alps.

When real estate agents say that a home has “potential”, then you usually think that you’re standing in front of ruins. Against this background, the Putzenhof in Laives-S. Giacomo had a heap of potential back in the 1950s. And in actuality, the Schweigkofler-Mottironi family took full advantage of it.

In 1956, Viktoria and Johann Schweigkofler bought the Putzenhof in S. Giacomo, a part of Laives. The vineyards were old, some of them hadn’t been tended for years, the buildings were dilapidated, the approach on the road was arduous. But behind that realtor’s word “potential”, the Schweigkoflers recognized the reality: “The vineyard at the foot of a porphyry wall, the slopes with a southwestern exposure, and the climatic conditions were virtually ideal for winegrowing,” says grandson Roman Mottironi, who runs the estate winery today.

The ideal conditions were exploited by the owners over three generations to turn ruins into a functioning estate winery. Today, it has grape growing areas of 5.5 hectares that are worked in a manner close to nature. For instance, herbicides have been avoided for years.

And thus the raw materials grow for a series of wines: gentle and close to nature. And likewise created gently in the cellars of the Putzenhof in Laives are a white assortment with Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Kerner as well as a red line with Lagrein, Pinot Noir, and a Colli di Bolzano cuvée made from Schiava, Lagrein, and Pinot Noir. Some 37,000 bottles are filled every year. So the potential of the Putzenhof has in fact proven itself with numbers.