Toutes les caves à Bolzano

With 224 members and 350 hectares of cultivation area in Gries, San Maurizio, Settequerce, S. Giorgio, Cologna, Santa Maddalena, Coste, S. Giustina, and Renon: the great strengths of the Bolzano Winery is its diversity. So in the higher locations that range up to 1,000 meters, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer dominate, while at the medium elevations, it is Schiava. Further down, Cabernet and Merlot are planted, with Lagrein in the valley areas. The wines are made in the winery building with its futuristic appearance.

In narrowest terms, the Bolzano Winery is relatively young. It was launched in 2001 but is actually the result of a merger between the much older, established Bolzano wineries of Gries and Santa Maddalena. For that reason, tradition holds a major emphasis from the members, as does managing their often steep vineyards in a sustainable manner that is close to nature. “Working the soils and grapevines in a gentle manner is an important matter to our winegrowers,” says President Philipp Plattner.

In the meantime, the caution and prudence does not stop in the vineyard, but continues on in the winery. It is the first one in all of Italy to have been awarded the “KlimaHaus Wine” quality seal for energy efficiency and sustainability. Even in the winery, the focus is on slowing things down. That is where winemaker Stephan Filippi wields the baton and explains, “Because the processing takes place according to the principle of gravitation, the grapes are transformed in the most gentle way.” The result is unique, unmistakable quality wines. And great variety which in and of itself is worth a closer look.

An estate winery in the midst of the city? The Nusserhof is precisely that. Its areas of cultivation lie in Piani di Bolzano and in Costa di Sotto. Heinrich Mayr and his daughter Gloria work here under strict procedures, which in plain language means: only with indigenous grape varieties and organically certified since 1994.

Just the father-daughter team already shows that the Nusserhof is a pure family-run operation. Heinrich and Gloria function as agronomists, oenologists, sales force, and office managers at the same time. That is also possible because with four hectares, the grape growing areas of the Nusserhof are manageable.

The head boss Heinrich Mayr speaks of “harmonious vineyards” and of “warm, airy soils” on the Isarco River on which he grows exclusively indigenous grape varieties: Blatterle, Lagrein, Schiava, and Teroldego. when asked about his goals for the estate winery, Mayr responds, “Our goal is to completely exhaust their potential and to increase even further the quality of our wines through adapted cultivation and winemaking methods.” So already today, the bar has been set high. Thus the Mayrs place great value upon the highest quality of the grapes, low yields, and a long aging of the wines in barrel and bottle. The result is structured, mineral-rich, elegant, lasting wines that are not heavy with a moderate alcohol content – “very personal wines,” as Mayr says.

And by the way: the Nusserhof is the home farm of the beatified resistance figure, Josef Mayr-Nusser.