Wineries in South Tyrol

The grapevines that are tended at the Strasserhof Estate Winery in Varna are up to 45 years old. From the grapes of these vines, Hannes Baumgartner, winegrower at the Strasserhof and, at the same time, president of the Independent Winegrowers association, makes youthful-fresh wines. White wines, of course, since we are in the Valle Isarco after all.

The strictly white assortment of the Strasserhof Estate Winery is a thankfully broad one. It ranges from Müller Thurgau and Grüner Veltliner to Sylvaner, Riesling, and Gewürztraminer all the way to Zweigelt. And of course includes Kerner, upon which Baumgartner has placed particular focus. “Our characteristic Valle Isarco wines can without a doubt be described with three attributes: a strong mineral quality, great juiciness, and pleasant, youthful freshness,” Baumgartner says.

Since 2003, he has been producing wine at the Strasserhof, an operation whose history in any case dates back much further. “The farmhouse was already built in the eleventh century,” the winegrower explains. Today, the estate winery encompasses five hectares of vineyards that are distributed over sunny locations with a southwestern exposure at elevations from 650 to 700 meters. “The lightly sandy gravel soils contribute to the elegant, fruity freshness of our wines,” says Baumgartner with conviction.
Thus around 45,000 bottles of white wine are produced each year, for which the chairman of the Independent Winegrowers in Alto Adige has developed a broad market. So today, wines from the Strasserhof are drunk not only in Italy, Austria, and Germany, but also in the Netherlands, Japan, and the USA.

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.

Mazon/Mazzon, a hamlet located above Neumarkt/Egna in the south of Alto Adige, is known as Alto Adige’s most typical Pinot Noir location. This is where the pioneers first experimented with this variety, where the first renowned Pinot Noirs from Alto Adige originated, and where the best wines of this grape variety are still coming from to this very day.

So it should not come as a surprise that the Praxmarer Estate Winery located on the Fritzenhof estate in Mazon has set itself the goal of “creating our own interpretation of a Mazon Pinot Noir.” And Sebastian Praxmarer, owner of the estate winery of the same name, is well aware of the responsibility that comes with the long tradition that he is following: “Our aim is to create authentic wines that fully represent this special location with its characteristic soil conditions and its unique microclimate,” says Praxmarer.

While the location has a very long tradition, the Praxmarer Estate Winery is still new in the business here in Mazon. In 2020, they first started cultivation on some of the estate lands, which span a total area of 15 hectares. But the history of the estate winery is much longer than that. For more than 220 years, since 1800, grapes have been grown on the Fritzenhof estate. Since 2020, the Praxmarer family has added a new chapter to this wine-making tradition.

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.”

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?

“Wasserer” is not the German word for someone who waters, but rather the name of a farm in Novale di Fiè which has a view of the southernmost end of the Valle Isarco. The Wassererhof in Fiè allo Sciliar is run by the twin brothers Christoph and Andreas Mock. Christoph takes care of the agriculture (and thus of winegrowing), while Andreas handles the cooking at their Buschenschank farmhouse inn.

The Wassererhof in Fiè was once called “Hof zu Wasser”, meaning that it was close to a spring which promised sufficient water and thus fruitfulness. Built in 1366 by the lords of Lichtenstein, the historical farmhouse fell more and more into a state of disrepair until 1996 when, greatly in need of renovation, it was purchased by Franz Mock, the father of twin brothers.

Because the senior in Coste near Bolzano was running his own estate winery and Christoph had furthermore completed the Technical College of Agriculture, the decision was obvious to also turn the Wassererhof in Fiè into a winegrowing farmhouse. Since that time, Christoph has run it with determination, expert competence, energy, and a philosophy all his own. “Our goal is to create wines with aspirations, beauty, and grace,” he says, “and flowing into this goal is all of our knowledge that has grown over generations and our passion for the vineyard and the cellar.”

It is out of knowledge and passion that a product line has come into existence at the Wassererhof in Fiè that consists of Schiava, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet, and Pinot Blanc – wines, in fact, with aspirations, beauty, and grace.

“Family business” is a tag that many operations pin to their lapels. But the Hans Rottensteiner Estate Winery does so legitimately. “All of the family members are involved in some way in the success of the operation – whether directly in the winery, in the office, or as grape suppliers,” explains Hannes Rottensteiner, who runs the estate winery along with his wife Judith in what is now the third generation.

But the estate is not just rooted in the family, it is also rooted in the world of Bolzano wine and its tradition. “Our focus lies fundamentally in the single varietal indigenous wines with a strong emphasis on the two typical Bolzano wines of Santa Maddalena and Lagrein,” the winegrower says. These have found the ideal conditions in the Bolzano porphyry soils, added to which these soils provide accentuated mineral tones in the wines.

In addition to those classic Bolzano reds, the significance of Pinot Blanc is also growing for the Hans Rottensteiner Estate Winery. “In recent years, it has become more and more important for us,” says Rottensteiner. At the current time, they make around 35 percent white wine, which is rather unusual for an estate winery right in Bolzano.

So the two main pillars of the Hans Rottensteiner Estate Winery have now turned into three. And in the future, this will be emphasized even further. “We want to establish ourselves even more strongly as specialists for Santa Maddalena, Lagrein, and Pinot Blanc,” says Rottensteiner, formulating the goal for his estate winery. But nothing will change with another established tenet: they are and will continue to be a family operation steeped in tradition.

Two friends, three locations, one project: with the Pföstl Estate Winery in Scena, Stefan Pföstl and Georg Weger have fulfilled a common childhood dream. Weger takes care of the vineyards and the winery, while Pföstl handles sales – including in the Schenna Resort that he runs. In addition to the fact that the foundation of the Pföstl Estate Winery is based upon a sandbox friendship, there are above all else three thoroughly different locations that distinguish the estate winery. Thus there are grape growing areas in Merano, Scena, Lana, and Pochi that are managed, all of which take advantage of a great deal of sun and heat.

Each of these locations has a different climate and different soils and exposures and is therefore ideal for different grape varieties. “The fact that the whole is more than the sum of its parts also holds true for wine,” says Pföstl. “It is the interplay of soil, variety, weather, and human labor.”

A large part of this work takes place in the vineyard and in the winery, “With passion and honesty,” as both Pföstl and Weger emphasize. It is thanks to the variety in locations that such a conceivably wide product line of wines has been established at the Pföstl Estate Winery. It ranges from Merlot, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio to Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir and all the way to the special Merano spa treatment grape, Schiava Grossa. Also in the range of the winery are two sparkling wines produced according to the classic method: A Blanc de Blancs and a Rosé sparkling wine.

“Five hectares, respect for nature, and no hocus pocus.” The philosophy of an estate winery cannot be described more briefly – or more accurately – than Kurt Rottensteiner does for his Brunnenhof in Egna. A philosophy that is also supported by the fact that the Brunnenhof is situated in Mazzon, one of Alto Adige’s best Pinot Noir areas.

Nature has therefore meant well for the vineyards of the Brunnenhof in Egna-Mazzon, for which the Rottensteiner family is grateful: since 2011, they have been running their estate winery according to ecological guidelines, and it is organic certified. “Our vineyards need to stay lively,” Kurt Rottensteiner says, since “The more vitality and fullness in the vineyards, the more will later on be in the wine.”

That holds true without making sacrifices for all of the locations and varieties at the Brunnenhof. Manzoni Bianco grapes have been thriving on the scree cone of the Rio Trodena and, since 1921, Lagrein vines! Added to these are Gewürztraminer, and Yellow Muscat, but above all else Pinot Noir. “The sandy loam soils, the wind exposure, the midday sun, the Ora wind from Lake Garda, and the cool nights: all of these are the perfect conditions,” explains Rottensteiner.

And the winegrower also abstains from hocus pocus above all else in the winery. In the vaulted cellars of the Brunnenhof that stay pleasantly cool in the summer, white and red wines mature, whereby the latter are without any small oak casks. “We don’t want the tannin and the vanilla flavor of wood, but rather more of the wine’s own tannins and its own fruit,” says Rottensteiner, aiming for wines that tell their own story. Without, in fact, any hocus pocus.

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.

The Gottardi family from Innsbruck had already made a name for themselves in the world of wine as dealers when, in 1986, they fulfilled a dream: with their own estate winery and grape growing areas in Alto Adige’s Pinot Noir heaven. Thus the Gottardi Estate Winery came into existence in Egna-Mazzon.

But before the Gottardis were able to get the first bottle of their own wine onto the market, a great deal of work was necessary. All of the vineyards were replanted and set up with Guyot trellises. And the winery was also rebuilt. Only in 1995 was it possible to make the first wines, starting out with Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. “But because Pinot Noir enjoys great popularity both nationally and internationally, in 2010 we decided to devote ourselves exclusively to this unique grape variety,” says Alexander Gottardi.

And the conditions for this in Mazzon above Egna are absolutely ideal: sandstone, limestone, and marl soils with long evening sun and cool mountain winds at night prevent the grapes from maturing too quickly. “They also grow rich in finesse and elegance,” Gottardi says with enthusiasm, as he makes his contribution to top-quality Pinot Noirs with a consistent policy of quality. Thus the grapes are harvested by hand and carefully selected.

“From the first year, the grape material has been transported into the winery only with gravity, which is very important since Pinot Noir is very sensitive,” the winegrower explains. His Pinot Noir is first matured in stainless steel tanks and then in small French barrique barrels, and finally allowed to age in the bottle. A lot of work for a place in the Pinot Noir heaven.

Having several hundred years of tradition is not extremely rare with Alto Adige estate wineries, but having roots that date back 1,700 years is. In the vineyards of the Baron Widmann Estate Winery in Cortaccia, winegrowing can be traced back to the Romans. And with proof.

In 1977, during clearing work at the estate, remnants from Roman times were stumbled upon, including wooden parts of a grapevine which, with the help of findings of coins, could be dated back to the period around 300 AD.

The history of the estate winery is therefore a long one, not least because the conditions for a vineyard here are ideal. The vineyards of the Baron Widmann Estate Winery in Cortaccia are located between 220 and 600 meters of elevation on sunny, at times steep slopes which, as a result of the different locations, elevations, and soils, each create their own conditions. “We are careful to select the most suitable location for each of the different varieties on the basis of our long tradition and lengthy experience,” explains Andreas Widmann.

As early as the 1960s, the shift was already made at the Baron Widmann Estate Winery from the pergola to the Guyot trellis. “Only with Schiava did we remain with the pergola trellis,” Widmann says. In addition to the indigenous varieties, the warm locations of Cortaccia are also suitable above all else for the Bordeaux varieties, and thus Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, but the assortment also includes Gewürztraminer, Manzoni, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.

The wines are made at the family manor in the heart of the village of Cortaccia. The venerable building is not as old as Roman times, but parts of it do date back to the Gothic period. And thus the roots do indeed run deep.

The Egger-Ramer Estate Winery in Bolzano has been in existence since 1880, and since that time it has followed one simple principle: cultivating indigenous grape varieties in a modern way. Peter Egger-Ramer, fifth generation winegrower at the estate winery, has expanded this goal by one dream: to create the perfect Lagrein.

Located right in the midst of the provincial capital of Bolzano, the Egger-Ramer Estate Winery has the best conditions for it – including because the focus was on Lagrein here very early on. “My father Toni already believed in the power and potential of Lagrein as early as the 1970s,” Egger-Ramer recounts, “so at a time when this grape variety was notorious for being a simple farmer’s wine with far too many sharp edges.”

Peter built upon the preparations by his father, worked tirelessly on the quality of his Lagrein, and with the Kristan Lagrein Riserva has created an extraordinary representative of its kind. But anyone who believes that with this, the Bolzano winegrower has achieved his goal will be mistaken. When asked about his dream, he responds, “It would be nice to create the perfect Lagrein someday.”

Even if Lagrein is the showpiece wine of this traditional estate winery, the palette of grape varieties in the vineyards that encompass some 15 hectares in and around Bolzano is much larger. Yellow Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Schiava, and Lagrein also grow there. With the indigenous varieties and all of the wines that reflect the particular character of the locations, Egger-Ramer says, “It combines the best of both worlds: the Alpine and the Mediterranean.”

The Tiefenbrunner Estate Winery in Niclara is among the oldest in Alto Adige. It has been in the family since 1675 and a winery since 1848 – today the Turmhof Castle Winery. It is not without reason that it carries its lordly name, since it is housed in the historical manor of the same name and is surrounded by a park that is worth seeing.

In order to do justice to these surroundings, the Tiefenbrunner Estate Winery has consistently focused upon quality. That begins in the vineyards that are located around the estate winery in Niclara, but also in Cortaccia and Magré. “Some of the rare slopes with a southern exposure are a genuine stroke of luck, since they are virtually ideal for our Bordeaux varieties,” explains Christof Tiefenbrunner, who also obtains for his winery grapes from Aica di Fiè (Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir), Bolzano (Lagrein), and Montagna/Pinzano (Pinot Noir).

“Our vineyards cover the impressive range from 200 to 1,000 meters above sea level, the soils are correspondingly widely varied, and thus we find the suitable location for every variety,” the winegrower says. From their own grapes and those of contract growers, what comes into existence in the Turmhof Castle Winery are complex wines that are typical of their variety and capable of aging which receive the necessary maturation time in the cellar. And because a long history is always associated with great responsibility, that is taken especially seriously in the Tiefenbrunner Estate Winery.

Thus great value is placed upon sustainability and the protection of natural resources – and that didn’t just start today: the winery has been provided with electricity from its own hydroelectric plant since 1910.

The vineyards of the Klasen Hof in Nalles are steep, which makes work with machines nearly impossible. For that reason, the majority of the work is done by hand. Which may sound like great toil, but for the Thurner family, not only is that something which is self-evident, it is also an advantage. “In that way, we can have a targeted influence upon the improvement of the quality of the grapes in the vineyard,” so the family philosophy goes. At the Klasen Hof in Nalles, having so much passion is a tradition.

In the early twentieth century, Alois Mair, the great-grandfather of the growers there today, had the courage to build a farm out of nothing and, from the very beginning on, to also focus on winegrowing. “Klasen Luis”, as he was known, was thus able to lay the foundation for an operation that continues to be run successfully today. The Thurner family is aware that, “We profit form comprehensive knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation about the cultivation of grapes and from many years of experience in the winery.”

Their motto is that high quality comes from both the grapevine and the barrel. Therefore, the focus is on the right balance between the work in the vineyard and in the winery. What emerges are thus wines with strong character in which the aromas reflect the cultivation zone – and the passion with which the Klasen Hof in Nalles makes their Lagrein, Schiava, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Blanc. For around a century.

Now in its seventh generation of winegrowers, the Clemens Waldthaler Estate Winery is based in Ora in the heart of the Lagrein and Pinot Noir areas in the Bassa Atesina. Today, Clemens Waldthaler focuses not just on those two calling card varieties, but also has white wines and Bordeaux varieties in the selection.

Ora is a traditional winegrowing village in the Bassa Atesina. It is on a porphyry scree cone which lends the wines grown here a mineral-rich tone. In addition, the climate and slight slopes provide the conditions that are optimal for winegrowing. The Waldthalers also recognized that, but it was back in 1735. That was when the family purchased the estate winery which today bears their name and comprises seven hectares of grape growing areas.

In the vineyards of the Clemens Waldthaler Estate Winery in Ora, it is not just the two varieties that are classic for the Bassa Atesina that grow there, Pinot Noir and Lagrein, but also Cabernet and Merlot. The best grapes of the latter three varieties are made into the wines that are the calling card of the Clemens Waldthaler Estate Winery: the Raut line. In addition to the reds, there are also white wines in the assortment on offer consisting of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Blanc.

“We focus on gentle processing of the grapes, controlled fermentation, and the constant inspection and care of the wines,” Waldthaler says, going on to also explain the goal of this guiding principle: “All of that is imperative for the quality and drinkability of the wine.”

Twenty-one generations. That’s how far the Schmid family at the Schmid Oberrautner Wine Estate in Bolzano-Gries can trace back their family tree. Thus without a doubt, they are among the oldest winegrowing families in all of Alto Adige. Today it is Florian Schmid who continues the heritage at the Schmid Oberrautner Wine Estate.

In 1411, and thus long before Columbus visited America, Andrä Schmid laid the cornerstone in Bolzano-Gries for the Schmid Oberrautner Wine Estate, and he did so in the truest sense of the word. He had a farm complex built with agricultural and residential buildings, parts of which still stand today. Thus it was solid workmanship that became second nature to the Schmids.

And that also holds true for the wine production which, starting from the seventeenth century, played a greater and greater role and today is the most important pillar of the Schmid Oberrautner Wine Estate – and also because of its outstanding wines: “It is important to me to bring character into the glass year after year,” explains Florian Schmid. The conditions for that are unmistakable soils in good locations, know-how, and that gut feeling. “For that reason, there is a piece of me in my wines, of my personality, of my style, and above all else of my passion for mineral-rich, fresh, quaffable wines,” the winegrower says.

The raw materials for these wines grow on a good nine hectares of vineyards of the Schmid Oberrautner Wine Estate. These are primarily Lagrein and Schiava, added to which are Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Merlot, and Chardonnay. And with them, around 95,000 bottles per year are produced from the winery at the Schmid Oberrautner Wine Estate. Right in the middle of Gries.

Annotation: 

Piazza Gries is closed until September, the winery therefore is accessible only via: 

Via Vittorio Veneto - Via Cologna - Via Michael Pacher - Via Fago

or 

Ponte Talvera - Via Cadorna - Via Fago

The Kreithof is an estate winery filled with tradition whose roots date back to the Middle Ages.
At that time, a farm was created on a cleared space (in Middle High German, Gereuth) on a hill above San Michele-Appiano, the name of which little by little came under the influences of dialect until it was transformed into “Kreit”. And the way it looks is also different than it was back then. In the eighteenth century, the farmhouse was expanded into a magnificent manor, with the house occupied and the land worked by the Raifer family since 1813.

Aside from how the farmhouse looks, the economic pillars of the farm have always included winegrowing from the very start. So today, Johann Raifer runs seven hectares of vineyard area. “By far the largest part of our grapevines grow at somewhat higher than 400 meters above sea level on sandy-loamy moraine soils around our farmhouse,” Raifer explains. Just one smaller vineyard that belongs to the Kreithof is located in the vicinity of Lake Caldaro.

A broad palette of grape varieties is planted that ranges from Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc to Yellow Muscat and Goldmuskateller to Schiava, Pinot Noir, and Lagrein.

The fact that winegrowing has a great deal to do with tradition becomes clear with the Peter Sölva & Söhne Estate Winery in Caldaro. Since 1731, and thus for ten generations now, wine has been produced here – and it is done so today with the same passion in both the vineyard and the winery. Wines come into existence with an edge – “No mainstream wines,” as Stephan Sölva puts it, who runs the estate winery today.

Twelve hectares of grape growing areas make up the traditional estate winery encompasses, which Sölva describes looking both forward and back equally, “Having a centuries-old history in the wine industry, respecting it, and running it authentically in the present and the future,” this is the hallmark of his estate.
Tradition and authenticity are therefore the keywords according to which the work is done at Sölva, and consistency could be added as a third. Thus Peter Sölva follows his own path that is characterized by consciousness of quality and a broad palette of grape varieties, some of which are unusual for the area: Lagrein, Gewürztraminer, Teroldego, Petit Verdot, Tannat, and Grenache.

The results of this combination are two lines with a very unique signature: the designation “Amitar” is carried by Sölva’s late-harvest wines, while “Desilva” designates terroir wines from old vines. “What is important is that the origin from our vineyards can be noticed in the character of the wine, and that our wines carry the signature of our estate,” Sölva tells us.

As can be seen with this estate winery in Caldaro, that which is new can thus best be combined with tradition. And the results can clearly be seen each time.

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.

The Klosterhof in Caldaro is an estate winery, wine hotel, and small distillery all at the same time. So Oskar Andergassen and his son Hannes exhaust all of the possibilities of what can be done with grapes. And what is just as big is the care with which they look after their raw materials.

For the Andergassens, care means first and foremost respect for nature. And (above all else) in the vineyards that encompass 4.5 hectares, that means to deal with them gently. That also involves low yields which, as a pleasant aftereffect, also drives up the quality of the grapes.
The Klosterhof Estate Winery also continues respect and sustainability in the winery, in which only grapes from their own vineyards are used, where gently means, “We follow the philosophy of a soft pressing and allow the wine a lot of time to mature in large wooden barrels,” explains the son, Hannes Andergassen.

The results of the care and prudence in the Klosterhof Estate Winery are 35,000 bottles per year of DOC quality wines – primarily Schiava, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Since 2013, the Andergassens have also been making distilled spirits in their own distillery from the pressings of Pinot Noir and Yellow Muscat, but also from apricots and Williams pears.

The entire palette of what can be made from grapes can best be experienced by a visit to the winery. In so doing, not only do visitors get insight into the method of operation at the Klosterhof, they can also taste the terroir in and around Caldaro and also understand the great passion that the Andergassens have.

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.

Step by step to their own wine: at the Kobler winegrowing estate in Magré, it has been shown how an estate winery can grow with a great deal of patience, lots of diligence, and the necessary consistency. The step toward making their own wine, which the Koblers took in 2006, was only a logical one. And certainly not the final one.

It was Erich Kobler who, in the 1950s, laid the foundation for the Kobler winegrowing estate in Magré. In 1958, he planted the first vineyard, half of which was Chardonnay. In 1972, a second location was added that he filled with Pinot Grigio, Merlot, and Carménère, and a third with Merlot came in 1993. In the 2000s, the assortment of grape varieties was expanded by Cabernet Franc and Gewürztraminer.

A decisive step for the Kobler winegrowing estate in Magré followed in the mid-2000s. “With the 2006 harvest, my wife Monika and I began to make wine ourselves from some of our grapes,” recounts Armin Kobler, son of the operation’s founder. Thus the grapes from two hectares of the estate’s own grape growing areas are made into wine in-house. “We reach a production of an average of 15,000 bottles of DOC wines per year,” Kobler says. The remainder of the harvest goes to the Cantina Kurtatsch.
Even if the production is currently still manageable, the goal of the Koblers continuing with their own wines is clear. “We want to make wines,” Kobler explains, “which reflect as much as possible the character of the location, the variety, and the vintage.”

Wines are not made, they are accompanied. That is the credo with which Joachim Wolf and his team work at the Oberstein Estate Winery in Cermes. “Our vision is to make wines without a lot of technology and to give them the necessary time to mature in the large wooden barrels,” says Wolf. “In the end, it is not we who determine the maturity. It is time.”

But one thing is clear: this concept only applies if the quality of the raw materials – that is, the grapes – is right. And that quality begins in the vineyard. In keeping with the concept, at the Oberstein Estate Winery in Cermes that is achieved through prudence and restraint, which leads to reduced yields and high quality.

Added to this is the fact that Mother Nature has been especially kind to the Oberstein Estate Winery in Cermes. The estate’s vineyard is located on steep slopes with a southeastern exposure at an elevation of 400 to 500 meters (1,300 to 1,600 feet) above sea level. Its foundation is formed by light, permeable, loamy sandy soils that are pervaded with porous, slaty, granite rock material. The latter lends the wines of the Oberstein Estate Winery a prominent mineral-rich quality.

The location, elevation, and soils shape the terroir as much as the great temperature fluctuations between day and night, which are especially noticeable in the autumn. “All of these factors and our extensive philosophy of work both in the vineyard and in the winery yield a unique combination and form the basis for excellent wines with great recognition value,” Wolf says.

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”.

Two geographical locations that share an ancient connection come together at the Wieserhof Estate Winery in Völlan/Foiana. One of the two vineyards of the winery is located in Völlan above Lana, the second vineyard in Castagnara-Masetto near Lake Garda. But what is so special about that? Both vineyards have been connected by an ancient trade route for about 3,000 years now, which is why the Wieser family named its wine project after this route: La Traversara.
Hubert Wieser and his wife, Silvia, have been working on the “La Traversara” project for about 20 years now. They are the second generation to work the land at the Wieserhof estate. And their daughters Maya and Emma are now the third generation on the Wieserhof. The family produces four wines, which, just like the vineyards of the Wieserhof, are connected in many different ways.
Both vineyards—the one in Völlan and the one in Castagnara-Masetto—are located at approximately the same altitude (600 meters above sea level) and are home to the same two grape varieties (Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc). “The grapes of both vineyards and both varieties are aged in an identical process in wooden barrels, but they turn into four very characteristic wines, which each tell their own, unique story,” explains Hubert Wieser.
Again, that perfectly fits the Wieserhof Estate Winery from Völlan, which also tells us a story: a story that started approx. 3,000 years ago and tells us of the fusion of two geographical locations and cultures.