Holidays in Brixen/Bressanone and environs

Trade your humdrum routine and the city’s urban grey for the vibrant blue of the Dolomite skies and the verdant green of the vineyards. Welcome to Val d’Isarco – your gateway to new horizons and spaces where you can breathe freely. Recharge your energy levels. Walk on historic soil and discover South Tyrol’s modern spirit. What a pleasure! Because that is what Pachers does best. Uniting seemingly contrasting elements. For a holiday that truly makes a difference. For a time-out that leaves lasting inspiration. We are the Pachers. Your inspiring place.

On the sunny slopes above the Valle Isarco in Velturno is found the Garlider Estate Winery. Christian Kerschbaumer follows a very particular philosophy here having to do with maintaining the characteristics of the grapevine and soil in the wine. Organic cultivation is one puzzle piece of this philosophy.

But sustainability is not the only topic which, in the eyes of Kerschbaumer, speaks for organic growing. The effects upon the wine are also smaller with this type of cultivation than with the conventional. In the winery, the Valle Isarco winegrower also uses primarily indigenous yeasts – another tile in the mosaic of an unadulterated wine.

And incidentally, “wine” at the Garlider Estate Winery stands for white wine. First and foremost, but not exclusively. On a small plot, the only Pinot Noir in the Isarco Valley is grown, with the large remainder of the vineyards bringing forth five white varieties. “In the Valle Isarco, the white wines find hard but very good conditions that substantially shape their character,” Kerschbaumer says with conviction.

These conditions include warm days, fresh, cool nights, good aeration, and soils that consist of a mixture of quartz phyllite. “All of this together gives the whites their fruity, subtle aromas, sleek elegance, and individual, dry tanginess,” explains the head of the Garlider Estate Winery in Velturno.

So it is no wonder that the Garlider wines are making headlines. For English wine critic Stuart Pigott, Kerschbaumer is one of the ascending stars in the Valle Isarco. He writes, “Above all, his white wines are in a special class.”

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...

At unusual locations, the focus has to be on unusual varieties. Or, to express it better, on extraordinary varieties. Konrad Delazer and his family do precisely that. At the Häuslerhof in Naz-Sciaves, and thus at the northernmost end of Alto Adige’s winegrowing zone, the Delazers work with Portugieser.

This grape is an old variety, the origins of which have to be sought in what is now Slovenia. It came into existence there as a cross between Blaue Zimmettraube and Green Sylvaner, and today it is a popular grape variety above all else in Southeastern Europe. In Central Europe, on the other hand, its area of cultivation is dwindling more and more. The decision by the Delazer family to work with precisely this variety at their Häuslerhof therefore means: swimming upstream.

Konrad Delazer does this with his wife, Karin – as the former Queen of the Apple Festival, “Her Majesty” – and their children Sabrina and Philipp on at least a part of their area of cultivation, which is situated at an impressive 820 meters above sea level. “We place great emphasis on Portugieser, but we also work with classic white wine varieties such as Müller Thurgau,” Konrad Delazer explains. “In the end, the Valle Isarco is an ideal white wine zone.”

Keeping his manageable vineyard area running matches perfectly with the lifestyle of Konrad Delazer. He may be a passionate winegrower, but for many years, he earned his daily bread as a cook. And in addition to that, Delazer is also something else that is not so frequently thought of with the traditional image of cook and winegrower: a certified mountain bike guide.

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.

The Gitschberg-Jochtal skiing and Alpine pasture region welcomes guests where the Pustertal valley meets the Eisacktal valley. The lifts connect Mühlbach/Rio di Pusteria in the valley with the villages of Maranza/Meransen and Valles/Vals, both of which are situated at about 1,400 m above sea level. Small wonder that there are three viewing platforms here: More than 500 peaks can be discovered from these vantage points, in particular the Pfunderer Berge mountains, the adjacent Zillertal Alps and the Dolomites. In the Mühlbach skiing and Alpine pasture region, the focus is on families. While little ones attempt their first ski turns at the award-winning children's ski schools, beginners and novices can practice carving on the gentle slopes of Valles. Meanwhile, experienced skiers can carve down the demanding slopes into sunny Maranza. The nearly 7-km toboggan run is definitely not just for kids! Romantics can go on a winter hike through the picturesque Altfasstal valley or to the Fane Alm Alpine farm.

We serve coffee and homemade cakes, as well as ice creams and refreshing drinks. We look forward to your visit

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.

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?

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.

The Radoarhof in Velturno is situated at no less than 850 meters above sea level – and directly at the Chestnut Path in the Valle Isarco. It is thus one of the highest winegrowing estates in Alto Adige. And one on which Edith and Norbert Blasbichler have been working strictly biodynamically for a quarter century: according to the phases of the moon, with herbal teas, and with exclusively natural yeasts.

But biodynamic or not, it doesn’t matter: work is work. The leaf trimming of the vines that are up to forty years old takes place at the Radoarhof just like everywhere else, and it is also taken just as seriously. And yet the work in the vineyards of the Radoarhof that are situated at 900 meters and encompass three hectares differs fundamentally in many ways from those that are more conventional, and that is also reflected in the results: Norbert Blasbichler is convinced that “The use of biodynamic preparations, various herbal teas, the planting of greenery, and the consultation of the phases of the moon yield special grapes.”

Contributions to the “special grapes” are also made by the slate soils and the constant sunshine. And they are also processed specially in the winery. For the fermentation, for instance, only natural yeast is used, and the wines – Müller Thurgau, Kerner, Zweigelt, and Pinot Noir – are allowed to mature after that for nine months, some of them in large oak barrels.

And by the way: at this winegrowing estate so close to the sky, top-quality distilled spirits are also produced. Biodynamically, of course.

The Radlseehütte (2284 m) in the Sarntal Alps is located in a beautiful location at the Radlsee east of the Königsangers peak (2436 m).

“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.

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.

 

“Good wine requires one thing above all else: character.” This conviction leads Peter Wachtler with his work at the Taschlerhof in Bressanone. Since the early 1990s, this has consisted of making four white wines whose longevity, fruity bouquet, and a trace of the exotic have been attested to.

Wachtler himself asserts that the Taschlerhof at the southern part of Bressanone works “with the right portion of passion and a tiny bit of boldness.” In plain language, that means that he is pleased to exchange information with his winegrowing colleagues throughout all of Europe, but he still follows his own path in the vineyard and the winery.
That all begins in the Taschlerhof’s vineyards at an elevation of over 500 meters, where the not very fertile slate soils, southeastern exposure, and intense rays of the sun are ideal for white wines. Wachtler places great value here upon purposefully reducing the yields and only harvesting the grapes “at their absolute physiological maturity,” since, “Only in that way are the quality and the typical characteristics of the extreme growing locations maintained.”

At the Taschlerhof in Bressanone, the concentration is on four varieties: Sylvaner, Riesling, Kerner, and Gewürztraminer. Around 60 percent are matured in large acacia barrels, and around 40 percent in stainless steel tanks. “My young wines mature through late spring with constant contact with the fine yeast,” Wachtler says, “and for that reason they are only ready to drink by late summer.” Individual wines, as we learn, need time.

The Santerhof is located in Rio Molino, at the entrance to the Val Pusteria, which is better known for its potatoes than for its wine grapes. And yet, The vineyards of the Santerhof are the northernmost in Alto Adige, and the Santerhof itself is the northernmost winery in all of Italy. Resistance is therefore in demand here, including against fungal diseases.

For that reason, the Santerhof focuses on fungus-resistant varieties, and thus on vines that defend themselves with their own power against diseases such as mildew and therefore in normal years don’t need to be treated at all. Even in exceptional years, only organic aids are put to use at the Santerhof, since it has been managed according to organic guidelines since as early as 1991.

So at the Santerhof, they are not so inclined to follow well-trodden paths, but rather to blaze their own trails. That is shown by the organic cultivation, as well as by the concentration on fungus-resistant varieties. “We only grow the grape varieties Bronner and Regent, from which we make the best wines, and since 2008 exclusively in the estate’s own winery,” explains Wilhelm Gasser. The wines are sold almost completely right from the farmhouse.

The special climate, the soil with a high portion of silicate, and the elevation of just under 800 meters above sea level at which the vineyards are located lend the wines from the Santerhof very special flavor tones. Gasser describes his wines as having “sleek acidity, multilayered aromas, and mild tannins.”
Is that how the real Northern Lights taste?

A winery has existed in Novacella since 1142, and thus the monastery winery is one of the oldest active wineries in the world. In addition, it is one of the most important in the Valle Isarco and the representative of an outstanding white wine area.

Within that context, the assortment on offer by the monastery winery is in fact primarily white but not exclusively so.

“Some 70 percent of our production is white wines: Sylvaner, Müller Thurgau, Kerner, and Riesling that grow from the Bressanone valley basin up to 900 meters,” says winemaker Celestino Lucin. The care and prudence that he practices hold true not just in the winery, but through a large number of additional circles. Thus the winegrowers work their vineyards in a sustainable manner, and the entire winery works in a CO2-neutral way.

Even if the Novacella Monastery Winery is renowned above all else for its white wines, the red varieties do indeed also play a role. They make up 30 percent of the production, whereby the grapes do indeed grow in vineyards belonging to the monastery, but not in and around Bressanone. “The climate would be too harsh for them,” Lucin is convinced. His Schiava, Pinot Noir, and Red Muscat thus have their origins in Bolzano and Cornaiano.

But it doesn’t matter whether it is red or white: the calling card of the monastery winery has been and remains the Praepositus line. And because that is the case, it is at the same time also an homage to the leader. Praepositus is the Latin word for the provost, and thus the abbot of the monastery.

There is one thing – and only one thing – in which Manni Nössing of the Hoandlhof in Bressanone is a traditionalist: he grows classic white wine varieties such as those that belong to the Valle Isarco.  Otherwise, he is accustomed to pursuing new paths with a small group of like-minded winegrowers, of experimenting with new processes, and of following new ideas.  “We are the wine rebels in the Valle Isarco,” Nössing says with a smile.

In everything that he does, there is one goal on which he sets his sites: making a wine with its very own character.  And what does that mean in concrete terms? “A wine has to taste good,” the winegrower says, “and it has to taste good to me!” On the pathway to this wine, what helps Nössing is his experience but also the insights that he has gained on trips through the most important winegrowing regions of the world.

All of this has flowed since 2003 into the 5.5 hectares of vineyards and the winery of the Hoandlhof, and all of that leads to individual wines which from the very beginning onward have been cause for great attention.  One of Nössing’s first wines, his Kerner, already achieved a distinction from the Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso.  And the Hoandlhof wines that followed the premiere also made quite an impression on the experts: with fresh acidity, a strong mineral-rich quality, and differentiated fruit.

In addition to the Kerner, Nössing’s assortment also includes Sylvaner, Gewürztraminer, Veltliner, and Müller Thurgau.  Nothing else.  As has been stated, with the selection of grape varieties, the rebel is a traditionalist.

From the bishop's bishop's seat of Brixen with its medieval alleyways, it’s less than ten minutes to the Plose ski area, which stretches over two of the three peaks of the Plose mountain area. Once you’ve arrived at an altitude of over 2,000 m above sea level, a magnificent panorama opens up in all directions. As you ski the southern slopes of the Plose and the Pfannspitze mountains, you’ll have a clear view of the Dolomites’ distinctive rock pinnacles. To the north, the main chain of the Alps towers in the distance. Will you have the courage to venture down the 9-km legendary 'Trametsch' valley ski run? Ways to explore the snow-covered landscape are limitless: Hike along the numerous hiking trails and ski tourers will discover untouched powder snow on the slopes of the Gabler in the Puez Geisler Nature Park. On the 'RudiRun,' one of the longest toboggan runs in South Tyrol, fun is guaranteed for the entire family. From the mountain station to the valley, speed down nearly 10 km and descend 1,000 metres in altitude.

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.

Interested can see at the show destillery very closely as fine noble fires originate. They get to know like aromas from very best fruit into the fires are integrated and of course(naturally) the fuel process is explained(declared) to you in detail. And you will learn the different smells.

Producing mineral-rich, fruity, elegant mountain wines with their own character: the credo of the Cantina Valle Isarco is as clear as it is simple. This is the youngest of Alto Adige’s cooperative wineries and, with 135 members, also the smallest, as well as the northernmost in all of Italy. And its credo is followed without compromise.

The grapes grow on steep terraces at elevations from 250 to 1,000 meters. The work in the vineyards is hard and in many cases done by hand. Specifically right here, it is necessary to work in harmony with nature, to take the infertile resources into consideration, and for that reason to produce as close to nature as possible. But in any case, it is actually the elevation that also has a series of advantages. For instance, the harvest period is relatively late in the year, which is why the grapes also take along a whole series of sunny and warm autumn days and cool nights with them into the approximately 950,000 bottles that are produced annually.

“The particular climate of the Valle Isarco, its mineral-rich soils, and the late harvest are the optimal conditions for fresh, fruity, and mineral-rich white wines,” explains Stefan Donà, who has been winemaker of the Valle Isarco Winery since 2023. The calling cards of his winery are therefore the outstanding Sylvaner, Kerner, Müller Thurgau, and Grüne Veltliner, which make up no less than 98 percent of the assortment. They score a hit with their unmistakable stylistic direction and acidity structure, and they present themselves as extremely typical of the variety. As they know all too well at the Cantina Valle Isarco, quality in fact knows no compromise.

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.

Creating wines with character. That is the goal of Paul Huber at the Griesserhof in Varna. The winery is one of the northernmost in Alto Adige and focuses above all else on white wines. But Zweigelt and Pinot Noir are also grown there.

The foundation for winegrowing in Varna was created by the Ice Age. Gigantic glaciers left behind a fertile moraine hill there on which today primarily white wine grapes grow. Huber uses three separate vineyards at his Griesserhof: Gols, Gall, and Rigger.

The Gols hill lies in the middle of the valley, with the vineyards directly at the farmhouse. Wine grapes were grown here as early as the fourteenth century, as was recorded in the records of the Novacella monastery. So it is no wonder that the loamy, sandy soil is in fact ideal for a series of grape varieties. “For us, Gols is the best location for our Sylvaner,” Huber says. Gall, on the other hand, which is located at an impressive elevation of 800 meters, is the cultivation area for the Kerner of the Griesserhof, while Rigger in the warm basin in the Val Riga provides the best conditions for expressive Veltliner wines.

“It holds true for all of our locations that we only press the grapes with the best quality and work with them according to the most modern of standards of winery technology,” the winegrower explains, and adds with a few clear words, “It is important to us to make wines with their own character.”

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.

Brixen Bikepark on the Plose has four mountain bike trails varying from very easy to challenging. Three of the four descents were only opened in 2018. They were designed by Gravity Logic, which was founded by the legendary trail building team behind Whistler Mountain Bike Park in Canada. All the trails are superbly maintained, boast some fantastic corners and offer plenty of airtime and riding challenges.
4 lines: 2 difficult, 1 medium, 1 easy
Accessibility: Plose gondola lift, Palmschoß chairlift