Wineries in South Tyrol

From classic livestock farming to fruitgrowing and winegrowing: the Lenzelehof in Silandro, the main village in the Val Venosta, has gone through a development that is typical for many agricultural operations in Alto Adige. Less typical is the fact that the grapes are not only grown at the Lenzelehof, but also made into wine there.

And even less typical is the location of the Lenzelehof as an estate winery. Because after all, the Val Venosta and Silandro are not exactly generally regarded as a winegrowing zone in Alto Adige. Yet in spite of this, “On the southern slopes of Monte Mezzodì, the conditions are ideal for growing grapes: it is sunny, a constant breeze keeps the grapes dry, and the temperature differentials between day and night provide a strong aroma,” explains Karl Innerhofer, winegrower at the Lenzelehof.

For three generations, his family has been running the Lenzelehof in Silandro, even though originally, this was a classic livestock operation before the switch was made to fruitgrowing and winegrowing. “Fruitgrowing continues to be our most important pillar, with winegrowing turning out to be smaller,” Innerhofer says. What he does not say, though, is that the latter may be smaller, but it is his passion. In the end, the decision to grow grapes was not nearly as big as the one to make the wine himself.

And that is precisely what Innerhofer is doing at the Lenzelehof, thus writing an important chapter in his typical Alto Adige success story by himself: from livestock raising to apple and grape growing. And to his own wine.

When Lake Caldaro is mentioned, those whose ears perk up are not just people who love a beautiful landscape, but above all else wine connoisseurs. At the Rösslhof, both will completely find what they are after: the former thanks to the ideal location of the estate winery right on the lake, and the latter because of the outstanding wines that are made at the winery.

It is Emma Ambach Psenner who has taken over the baton there and leads the estate winery today, which has been run by her family for generations. Building on this tradition, what is found in the product line of the Rösslhof are above all else the classic varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Schiava, and Lagrein. And for these, one clear guiding principle holds true: “It is a priority for us to best reflect the special landscape of Lake Caldaro, the location, and the climate in our wines,” the winegrower says.

Wine connoisseurs can best be convinced that this is successful right on site. After all, the Rösslhof runs its own farmhouse wine bar at which it is possible not only to taste your way through the entire product line, but also enjoy doing so with traditional Tyrolean home cooking. And if the wines from Emma Psenner turn out to be convincing, they can be purchased at the winery shop. And whoever would like to know how they are made will enjoy an excursion through the vineyards. Nothing is left out in terms of what plays a role in the world of winegrowing.

The Laimburg Provincial Winery in Vadena is the estate winery of the Province of Alto Adige. It has a whole series of vineyards in every winegrowing region in the province, and it is affiliated with the Laimburg Research Center for agriculture and forestry. So its task is not just to produce outstanding wines, but also to test new paths for Alto Adige winegrowing.

In total, the Laimburg Provincial Winery manages around 20 hectares of grape growing areas at elevations from 200 to 750 meters. “For us, the main focus of our work is maintaining and improving the quality of grapes and wine,” explains winemaker Urban Piccolruaz, “and, in so doing, it is necessary to test simple methods of management that save time and costs.”

From the grapes that are grown that way, around 90,000 bottles of wine are made every year. A portion of them, the estate wines, are traditional vintage wines that are typical of the grape variety. “The Burgselektion wines, on the other hand, are individual and aged primarily in large oak barrels or else they are select wines,” Piccoluraz says.

Since the early 1990s, barrels and bottles have been stored in a special cellar. “The opportunity basically presented itself to create the cellar in the porphyry rock of the Monte di Mezzo,” the winemaker reminisces. In retrospect, this unconventional decision proved itself to be doubly advantageous: on one hand, a cellar was built in which the naturally constant room temperature prevails, while on the other hand, a huge amount of money could be saved in comparison to the classic new construction of a cellar. And because the Laimburg Provincial Winery is in fact just that, the winery of the province, the taxpayers were grateful.

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.

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.

We give our fellow men and women a better understanding of sincere wine through natural sensory perception. We say “less is more”, we deal with our resources gently, and we hope to stimulate reflection. We see the soil in our vineyard as the most important ASSET.

Our task is to protect the vineyards, to create an environment for them in which they feel good. Nevertheless, we have to admit that winegrowing is an intensive form of agriculture. For that reason, we have decided to work together with nature, to stand by the grapevines in support, and consequently to deliver genuine wines year after year.

We strengthen our vines so that they are prepared in advance for changes. We manage 2.5 hectares on gravelly quartz phyllite at elevations between 550 and 700 meters above sea level. In the winery, we intervene as little as possible. No frills, just AUTHENTIC, LIVING WINE. Our wines are juicy, they are quaffable and go down easily. Anyone who drinks our wine ought to eat, laugh, and speak a lot.

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.”

An estate from the thirteenth century and an import from Rhineland Palatinate: the Rielingerhof in Collalbo on the Renon plateau is over eight hundred years old, but only since 2011 has the grape harvest been made into wine at the estate, including Riesling. Winegrower Matthias Messner learned to love it during his years of apprenticeship in Rhineland Palatinate in Germany. And this import from the Rhine has found outstanding conditions here.

As early as the beginning of the thirteenth century, the Rielingerhof in Siffiano, a district of Collalbo on the Renon plateau, was first mentioned in a document. A wine pressing stone from that time is still in the farmhouse – as testimony to the 800 year-old tradition of winegrowing at the estate, which came into the possession of the Messner family in 1956.

And now it is Matthias Messner who holds the reins here. He learned the art of winemaking both in Alto Adige and in Germany. “From the Rhineland, I brought along my love of Riesling, which brings forth such noteworthy quality on these mineral-rich soils,” Messner says. And what provides this is not only the soils, which are ideal for fruity wines with mineral tones, but also the elevation of the two hectare vineyards (at 750 meters!), the southern exposure of the mountainside, and last but not least their slope. “It reaches up to 75 percent,” Messner explains.

In such extreme locations, work by hand is required, added to which Messner manages his Rielingerhof in Collalbo purely organically. All of the wines that originate here are certified organic: the white Blatterle, Müller Thurgau, and Kerner, and the red Schiava and Zweigelt.

Merano is not just a health resort city with a tradition dating back centuries, but also one of the classic Alto Adige winegrowing areas. Above all else on the more or less steep slopes around the cities, grapes have been grown since time immemorial, finding their optimal conditions here. In the district of Maia Alta, for instance, the scree cone from the Rio Val di Nova provides fertile soils with a rich skeleton, added to which the climate here seems almost Mediterranean. And the Riedingerhof in Merano thrives from all of this.

So it is no wonder that as with so many farms in the Burgraviate, the roots of the Riedingerhof are to be sought in fruitgrowing and winegrowing, even if the farmhouse has developed more and more over the years into a hospitality establishment. But with this development, the Verdorfer family has not sacrificed their passion for winegrowing and wine. Quite the contrary: It is the young winegrower Hansi Verdorfer who continues to live with it today, not just growing grapes on his own vines, but also making his own top-quality estate-grown wines at the Riedingerhof in Merano.

And when asked about his passion for winegrowing and winemaking, he also says, “For me, the care of our vineyards, the grape harvest in the autumn, the work in the winery, and the weekly wine tasting with our guests are very special moments.” And that is hardly astonishing. In the end, he can not only live out his great passion, but also share it.

Wine has been made for nearly four centuries at the Unterganzner-Hof on the eastern edge of Bolzano. So it is no wonder that wine has become the great passion of the Mayr family. But in addition to that, there is a second one: “We all love music, and each one of us plays an instrument or sings,” says Josephus Mayr.

He runs the Mayr-Unterganzner Estate Winery in the tenth generation and also makes no secret of the fact that he profits from the preparatory work of his ancestors. Or, in more precise terms, from the selection of grapevines that was carried out with experience and a great deal of instinctive feeling. “Added to that is our precise work in the vineyard from pruning the vines to the late harvest and the gentle vinification in our own winery,” says Mayr.

And the ideal location, one is inclined to add. After all, the Mayr-Unterganzner Estate Winery is located in the classic Santa Maddalena zone and benefits from an outstanding red wine climate, good aeration, many hours of sunshine, and alluvial soils that warm easily. “The high plant density, the advanced age of the vines, and the pergola training also make their contribution,” the winegrower explains.

Thus what is created is Santa Maddalena as well as Lagrein that is rigorously matured in oak barrels that can age in the bottle for many years, classic wines that are still tirelessly honed. For example, making the cultivation more ecological is continuously pushed forward, and fungus-resistant vines are increasingly being planted. And where does Josephus Mayr see his estate winery in ten years? “In ten years, my son Josef will be running the estate. At that point, we will have been managing it for 401 years – hopefully with even better wines.”

Never stand still – that, too, is family tradition.

In the only surviving Lagrein terrain of Gries in Bozen, the unique alluvial soil of the rivers Eisack and Talfer with sandy loamy porphyry provides the natural foundation for our wines. We refrain from using any kind of fertilizers, but instead produce biodiversity through specific crop sowing. Thus, soils become autarchic, allowing striking personalities to thrive here year and again.
All making and creating in the vineyard and cellar alike is marked by gentle and careful procedures to allow the end product in the bottle to remain as natural as possible.
Often planted by our ancestors, the vines here have been defying all ages for decades now. And still, they stand and persevere, even against our modern and fast-paced world of today. To guarantee winegrowing in harmony with nature, we have been raising our vines with loving care according to certified ecological principals since 1996.
Reyter stands for certified ecological wines – a result of our idealism but above all else, a guarantee for our customers to enjoy purity and nature with every sip of wine.

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.

“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.

Up to a hundred years ago, the Longo barons produced wineZ48 at their estate around the picturesque Villa Castle in Egna. In 2015, Anton Baron Longo once again picked up the old family tradition. The estates extend from around Villa Castle at about 240 m above sea level up to Montagna at 1,040 m.

And it is not just because the latter lies within the Monte Corno Nature Park that the Longo family focuses on strictly organic operation of the estates – on a total of 20 hectares. In Montagna, they work with, among others, the fungus-resistant vines of the Solaris variety. Winegrowing that is sustainable and uncompromising does not happen by chance, but it does indeed reflect the family’s values: durability, courage, and vision. And all of these characteristics are also required in the winery, which is housed in the ancestral family seat that is significant in terms of art history, the Longo Palace.

“The complexity of the soils along with the gentle cultivation methods provide outstanding wine quality and incomparable flavor,” says Anton Baron Longo with conviction, describing his wines with the descriptors mild, noblesse, and elegance. Wines with pedigree, so to speak.

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.

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.

The luck of the Ramoser family is to have vineyards available in the best locations of Santa Maddalena. The luck of their customers is that these locations can also be tasted in the wines from the Untermoserhof Estate Winery in Bolzano.

It is not without reason that Georg Ramoser, who runs the family estate winery with his son Florian, names “sincere”, “unadulterated”, and “shaped by terroir” as attributes for his wine. It ought to be possible to taste the origin in the wines: the location of the vineyards, the work that lies behind the grapes and wine. “Our wines are captivating through their fullness, suppleness, and power, but without losing any juiciness or freshness,” Ramoser says.

All of this does not just appear by chance. After all, the vineyards of the Untermoserhof in Santa Maddalena offer the ideal conditions. But they also demand a lot from the Ramosers: “The steep slopes are associated with a lot of work by hand, but in the autumn, this is rewarded by optimal grape health and maturity,” the senior winegrower says.

In that way, a constantly high level of quality can be maintained – year after year, and for all of the wines in the assortment. “Our customers know to appreciate that,” Ramoser explains, seeing no reason to abandon the path that he has followed, since it involves getting wines into the bottle that are close to nature, genuine, and shaped by terroir in an unadulterated way.

But one thing is clear: that path is bound up with hard work. Including the hard work to always get better.

Agriculture, and winegrowing in particular, has always played an important role since time immemorial for the Bertol family. And the work continues with great enthusiasm and diligence.

The Spiegelhof Estate Winery is located directly on Lake Caldaro and is among the best locations in Caldaro. In recent years, the operation has grown continuously and has now come to comprise somewhat more than five hectares.

Earlier on, the Schiava (Vernatsch) variety was grown almost exclusively, from which the Lago di Caldaro denomination is obtained. Today, it is the varieties Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Yellow Muscat, Lagrein, Merlot, and Cabernet that dominate. And the training method has also changed: before, the vines were grown on pergola trellises, but now it is almost exclusively the Guyot trellis that is used. “This has had a positive influence on grape quality, and work can be made easier through the increasing use of machines,” says the winegrower Reinhild Bertol.

The wine itself is made with great care in the Spiegelhof, which is located right in the midst of the vineyards on the path around the lake. Anyone who strolls by the Spiegelhof will not have a hard time recognizing the families passion: the collecting of vintage tractors. Gerold Bertol, the master of the house, began this hobby more than thirty years ago. At the current time, the collection numbers over a hundred models – and there is no end in sight.

The heart of the Spiegelhof Estate Winery is “Reinhild’s Farm Shop”. The idyllic wine shop is located right on the lake and is surrounded by the winery’s own vineyards. It is the perfect location for tasting the excellent estate wines.

Thomas Plack was precisely nineteen years old when he took over the estate in Colsano at the foot of Monte Mezzodì in the Val Venosta in 1989. Today, in addition to five hectares of fruit orchards, he also manages three hectares of vineyards upon which, as Plack himself says, “new Val Venosta wines” are created.
But what exactly does the winegrower understand “new Val Venosta wines” to be? Plack attempts to provide a definition. “Our wines are fine-structured mountain wines with character that reflect their terroir in an impressive way.” And which are obtained with a great deal of work and diligence, it could be added. Since 2006, Thomas Plack has operated the estate in Colsano exclusively organically. “We hold sustainability and working as close as possible to nature to be near and dear to our hearts,” says the winegrower.
Two of the estate’s own vineyards and one area that is leased currently provide the grapes for the wines. It is exclusively Riesling that grows on the terraces of the steep Tonnerberg mountain. “It is among our highest vineyard locations and thus predestined for Riesling vines which love cool nights but also deal well with the high daytime temperatures,” Plack says. The Krebsenrauth location, on the other hand, provides Schiava, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc grapes.
And finally, one special feature is represented by the leased area around the Kasten manor, which today is planted with Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc as well as Riesling. It was the absolutely first vineyard area in the Val Venosta, dating back to 1974.
And as we have learned from this, new Val Venosta wines also completely go hand in hand with the traditions.

With 50 hectares of grape growing areas, the Manincor Estate Winery in Caldaro is one of the largest in all of Alto Adige. And also one with some of the richest traditions: grapes have been grown here for more than four hundred years, a tradition which Count Michael Goëss-Enzenberg continues – along new paths that are actuality old.

Count Goëss-Enzenberg, who is himself a trained oenologist, has focused on biodynamic cultivation in his estate winery since 2005, and that means: the revitalization of the soil with compost, special sowing of greenery, allowing chickens, sheep, and bees in the vineyard, and last but not least creating herbal teas with which the grapevines are treated. Chamomile helps the plants to overcome situations of stress, stinging nettle tea gives them energy, and horsetail herb supports the healing of injuries.

But as old as the knowledge about cultivation is at the Manincor Estate Winery in Kaltern, that’s how modern the winery is, which was built underground three stories below the vineyards. In the end, the grapes from a half million vines are brought together here, and a total of fifteen different grape varieties are made into wine here. But in spite of the size, the work in the winery is still always work by hand – with a particular attention to small scale: “Also trying and doing our best possible work even down to the smallest detail is our path to the highest natural quality,” says Count Goëss-Enzenberg. Because, “For me, wine is the greatest sensory expression of agricultural culture.”

And at the Manincor Estate Winery in Caldaro, they know their way around with focus on the senses, with passion, with authenticity, and with heart. For more than four hundred years. After all, a free translation of Manincor is “hand on heart. ”

Wineries are something almost sacred for wine connoisseurs. And at the Muri-Gries Monastery Winery, that impression may be even stronger. After all, up until the end of the eighteenth century, the rooms which are used as a winery today were the church of the Augustinian seminary at that time. And even today, the winery is reached directly through the cloister of the monastery.

The connection between wine and monastery which has already existed for centuries therefore also becomes clear at the monastery complex. Thus the heart of the vineyards, the monastery meadow, is still a part of the monastery complex today in the Bolzano district of Gries. In addition, the grapes from other vineyards in and around Bolzano and the Oltradige also come to the monastery winery.

The proprietor of the winery and the estate is the Benedictine Community of Muri Gries, while the daily work concerning wine lies in the hands of laymen, first and foremost winemaker Christian Werth. He describes the wines from the monastery winery as “elegant, linear, emphatically typical to the variety, powerful, and closely connected with their origins.”

Special attention is due to the Lagrein. “We want to display this traditional variety in all of its facets: from the rosé known as Kretzer to the Lagrein that is traditionally matured in large wooden barrels to the Riservas, which are carefully aged in small oak casks,” says Werth.

Thus it is no surprise that great emphasis is placed upon tradition at the Muri-Gries Monastery Winery. As well as on continuity, striving for quality, and the bond with nature and the cultural landscape. Values, it is to be understood, are upheld in a monastery.

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.

Right in the midst of the vineyards and yet in the city: the Zundlhof has a unique location in Bolzano. It has been run for nearly fifty years by the Ramoser family in particular as a classic winegrowing farmhouse, but also with rooms rented for farmhouse holidays.

The Zundlhof lies precisely one and a half kilometers from the center of the capital city, and since 1975, Helmuth Ramoser has been in charge. With the support of his daughter Johanna and her husband Martin, he manages half a hectare of grape growing area in Caldaro but above all else the three hectares around the Zundlhof in Bolzano “with lots of love and passion,” as Ramoser himself says.

Within that context, though, his vineyard in Bolzano is more like a wine garden. After all, although he is in fact located in the classic Bolzano Santa Maddalena zone, in contrast to most of the other vineyards there those of the Zundlhof do not cling to the slopes, but rather lie nearly flat on the valley floor.

This is where Ramoser finds the best conditions for the grape varieties that he grows. Without any surprises for this location, these are first and foremost Schiava and Lagrein, the “ingredients” of Santa Maddalena which Ramoser makes at the Zundlhof. Added to those are Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon and, as the only white wine variety, Pinot Blanc.

The best place to taste the small but excellent palette of wines is in the arcade of the Zundlhof. Right in the midst of the vineyards and yet in the city.

It may well sound like a cliché, but: when one door closes, another one opens. When transferred to the Kandlerhof in Santa Maddalena/Bolzano: when in the late 1960s, grape buyers were putting the financial screws on, the Spornberger family decided to make their own wine. And that’s how success stories begin.

But the roots of this success story of the Kandlerhof in Santa Maddalena/Bolzano reach far deeper. As early as 1278, the estate already existed which, in the eighteenth century, was renamed “Kandler” because this is where a tinsmith (in German, “Kandler”) carried out his handicraft. The Spornberger family took over the estate from him in 1793, and since that time it has remained in the possession of the family.

Gregor Spornberger made the switch from pure grape production to winemaking and to being one of the forerunners of the increased use of machines in Alto Adige winegrowing. He hands over the Kandlerhof in Santa Maddalena/Bolzano to his son Martin, who learned the work by hand in winegrowing and oenology from the very bottom up, all the way to his university degree.

In 2023, the generational story continues. Martin has passed the farm on to his son Hannes. The trained winemaker is full of thirst for action. You can already taste his more modern interpretation of the wines.

In addition the two hectares of grape growing areas in Santa Maddalena, which are planted with the indigenous red wine varieties of Schiava and Lagrein, with Merlot, and with the white variety Sauvignon Blanc, the current project covers 2.5 hectares and is located in the municipality of Fiè allo Sciliar. A new farm site, acquired in 2020, is being completely converted from livestock farming (pastures) to viticulture. The farm is located at an altitude of over 700 m above sea level. It is a south-facing site with very calcareous soils. Chardonnay is the main variety there. The first wines will be on the market in a few years.

Only few wineries can look back on seven hundred years of tradition. But the Josef Brigl Winery in Appiano can. Founded in the early fourteenth century and with four farmhouses and 50 hectares of cultivation area, it is among the largest private wineries in Alto Adige. And among the leaders.

Year founded: 1309. Just that figure alone gives rise to a tremendous amount of respect for the operation. “The name Brigl is doubtlessly characterized by seven hundred years of winemaking culture,” says winemaker Alberto Fortarel. “But our credo continues to remain: investing in the future.” Translated into practice, that means that the grapes are grown traditionally, strictly inspected during the harvest, and then gently made into wine with the most modern of vinification techniques.

“Our goal is that the uniqueness of the grape is shown to its full advantage in the glass,” Fortarel describes. The gentle processing is one step in that direction, and the purposeful vinification – in either stainless steel tanks or old or new wooden barrels, depending on the wine – is a second. Because the extensive grape growing areas offer the ideal locations for a broad palette of grape varieties, the product line of the Josef Brigl Winery is also an extensive one. It comprises all of the usual Alto Adige varieties, but the main attention is on the three classics: Lago Caldaro, Schiava, and Santa Maddalena.

Seven hundred years of history do in fact provide for a deep rooting in tradition – both their own and that of Alto Adige winegrowing in general.