Günther Windegger is a butcher and fourth generation speck producer. He is also vice president of the Alto Adige Speck Consortium and passionate speck expert
White and red like the Tyrolean colours, thinly sliced, with aromatic herbs and irresistile melt-in-the-mouth: Speck Alto Adige PGI is very renown and appreciated. Günther Windegger and the Alto Adige Speck Consortium make sure it maintains its qualities as excellent product of the South Tyrolean cuisine.
It's a typical small-town butcher's shop, like many in South Tyrol. The Windegger Butchery, located in St. Michael-Eppan/San Michele Appiano centre, has been around since 1901 and is a fourth generation family-owned business with qualified employees and four sales outlets.
The Windeggers primarily produce speck and raw sausages. Besides passing down traditional recipes, Günther Windegger likes trying new things. For example, "affumelli", typical smoked sausages air-dried in a special variant without the usual pork.
Since time waits for no one, even the local butcher's shop has deemed it important to show what the speck is made of. It's been several years now that the main location in Eppan/Appiano has employed a chef who prepares fresh dishes for lunch, like the vegetable strudel or eggplant parmigiana. He also makes takeaway food such as pasta sauce, goulash, or lasagna. “Products ready to eat and sustainable farming are the primary interest in the future of our sector,” says Windegger.
However, the main product is speck in all its variants. Pork loin speck, ham speck, smoked pancetta, the classic Speck Alto Adige PGI aged for seven months, the younger “normal” speck, and the “Bauernspeck Alto Adige,” made exclusively from South Tyrolean pigs. There's also baked ham, fresh sausages, grilled sausages, and cooked salami.
The Alto Adige Speck Consortium, has just celebrated its 30th anniversary and continues to safeguard the brand and its products, ensuring compliance with regulations and supporting marketing, advertising, and export incentives. "Our Alto Adige Speck PGI enjoys an excellent reputation in South Tyrol, southern Germany, and northern Italy," explains Windegger, "but we want to enhance its quality further and open doors to new markets for businesses interested in growing into international trade."
Vice President Günther Windegger stands for small companies, knowing both their weaknesses and strengths: local origins and close customer relationships. "Growth can only be achieved through quality," he asserts. "Demand for South Tyrolean speck remains high, so we look to the future with optimism."
What are the quality characteristics of speck?
It should be hard and dark red, not soft and light red.
What is the right way to store speck?
Wrap it in a cotton cloth and keep it in the refrigerator or in a cool, dark room. The longer the speck has matured, the longer it will last.
How do you like to eat it?
I love freshly sliced smoked pancetta speck and ham speck paired with cheese and boiled potatoes.
Text: Matthias Mayr
Photo: Armin Huber
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