Winiarnie w Południowym Tyrolu

The three letters CEO are not the abbreviation for the boss of a company. They can also stand for a winery in Salorno at the extreme south of Alto Adige. These letters were borrowed from the name of Dietrich Ceolan, who runs the winery along with Michael Scalet. For the two of them, wine is something that makes life better.

The basis for this, around which the lives of Coelan and Scalet revolve, is provided by the loam which the Adige River has deposited in Salorno over the centuries. Once the river was regulated, these loamy soils became accessible and turned into valuable agricultural land. Today, the vines of CEO grow on them, the source of the grapes for lovely, elegant white wines and full, intense reds: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Lagrein, Merlot.

“The ideal conception that we have of our wines is that they are fresh, direct, and honest,” adds oenologist Dietrich Ceolan. It is for that reason that in the winery, in addition to his know-how and top-quality handicraft, he also lets a helping of creativity run free. “And our unbridled passion also belongs to the secret recipe of our wines,” he says with a smile.

Guests can be most convinced of the fact that this secret recipe works in the wine bar that also belongs to the CEO winery. So it’s no wonder that Ceolan also includes among the most lovely parts of his profession not just watching wines come to life and guiding them to the highest level of perfection, but also “satisfying merry customers. ” Giving voice to the southern joie de vivre.

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.

Nine generations of winegrowing and a farm name that goes back to the Latin. That is the Glassierhof in Egna, at which the Vaja family also shows that a long history in no way means standing still. The decision to run the vineyards organically and to turn the harvest into wine in their own winery was made in 2005.

But let’s begin with the history. The name “Glassierhof” goes back to the Latin term clausura which the estate was called, as it was enclosed by a wall.

Earlier on, it was common to surround the farmstead with an enclosing wall in order to protect the crops. This precious product that is worthy of protection today is the wine which the Vaja family produces from organic grapes that they grow at the farm. “With around two and a half hectares, our grape growing areas that are situated at 220 meters above sea level in the Villa district of Egna are in fact manageable, but nevertheless we focus on variety,” says winegrower Stefan Vaja. Some 35 percent of the area is each devoted to Pinot Blanc and Lagrein, followed by Merlot and Cabernet, which together occupy a quarter of the area, as well as a small section of Chardonnay.

In addition, the operation has Gewürztraminer in Sella, Sauvignon Blanc in Montagna, and Pinot Noir in Mazzon (Himalaya). With this mix, a tradition is continued that goes back a long time in the Vaja family. The Glassierhof has been in their possession for no fewer than nine generations, so winegrowing is in their blood. But what is newer, and substantially newer, is the decision to no longer supply the harvest to a cooperative winery, but rather to make the wine themselves. They have been doing that at the Glassierhof since 2007. And they have done so with great success.

The Kreithof below the ruins of Leuchtenburg Castle is the heart of the Nicolussi-Leck Estate Winery in Caldaro. The estate itself originated in the thirteenth century, but the winery, with several floors and perfectly built right into the hillside, is highly modern. At the Kreithof, the symbiosis between old and new has thus been successful.

The Kreithof is around 800 years old, and for somewhat more than a century, it has been in the possession of the Nicolussi-Leck family which originally came from the village of Luserna in Trentino. During the First World War, they moved to Lake Caldaro, where they made use of the perfect conditions for winegrowing to build the family’s own estate winery. Today, Jakob Nicolussi-Leck and his family tend six hectares of vineyards at an elevation of 350 meters. “Our locations are extremely varied,” says Nicolussi-Leck. “We can choose from slopes facing east, south, or west for the ideal orientation for each grape variety.”

Added to the ideal exposure are a mild climate, a constant breeze from the south, warm, loamy sandy soils, and last but not least the family’s know-how. That led in the 2010s to the decision to make wine themselves from the estate’s own grapes. To do so, a highly modern winery was integrated into the hillside – with all of the advantages that location and technology can offer. The 2017 vintage was the first one to be made into wine at the Kreithof. “The processing of the grapes takes place only with the help of gravity,” explains the winegrower at the Nicolussi-Leck Estate Winery in Caldaro. But the wine is aged not in the modern winery, but in the historical cellar of the Kreithof. The traditional and the modern: at the Nicolussi-Leck Estate Winery, they meld together into perfection.

The fact that the vacation apartments at the Santlhof in Cortaccia carry the names for “Sauvignon Blanc”, “Chardonnay”, and “Pinot Blanc” is in no way a coincidence. Not only does the Santlhof lie in the middle of vineyards on a sunny terrace high above the valley, wine is also produced here which can be tasted, among other locations, in the estate’s own Buschenschank farmhouse inn.

The history of the Santlhof in Cortaccia goes way back. It already appeared in documents as early as 1547, and specifically in a purchase document. At that time, a certain Matheus Trientner purchased the farmhouse, which was then to have numerous owners in the course of the centuries. Since 1994, it has been in the possession of Georg Mayr, who renovated it from the ground up in 1996 and also runs it today as a winegrowing estate, farmhouse inn, and farm holiday operation.

With his total of 1.5 hectares of vineyards, Mayr focuses on management that is as close to nature as possible, and specifically not just at the estate that is located at an elevation of 585 meters, but also at three other locations which Mayr works. With Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, the vineyards around the farmhouse are the white wine cultivation area of the Santlhof. The red palette, on the other hand, grows with Cabernet and Schiava in the vineyards around Cortaccia and Lake Caldaro.

Thus at the Santlhof in Cortaccia, virtually the entire palette of locations is exploited which the Bassa Atesina has to offer. It’s best to just taste your way through them.

“My interest is aimed at wines that are not subject to conventions, but rather are proud, or even bold, to display their own character.” Hartmann Donà, head of the estate winery in Cornaiano that bears his name, doesn’t do things halfway. And that can first and foremost be tasted in his wines.

The foundation for a good wine is formed by a thorough understanding, and an interpretation built upon that, of soil, grape varieties, climate, and their interaction. Donà makes reference to that when he says, “Only in that way can unique originals come into existence – with the fine differences from year to year that characterize only unadulterated natural products.”

For Donà, what was therefore necessary first of all was to understand his sunny, airy vineyard at 450 meters above sea level in Cornaiano, the glacial moraine soil that is its base, and the gnarled, 40 to 50 year-old vines. To understand how through careful nurturing that is close to nature, a low number of small-berried, flavorful grapes are produced. And how from them, 35,000 to 40,000 bottles of wine can be created “with elegance and harmony, with Alpine freshness and a mineral-rich quality,” as Donà himself describes his wine.

The winegrower has very obviously understood all of that, and even understood it very well. His wines – Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, and an elegant Lagrein –are regarded as exciting, as wines with depth and breadth, as those for the serious connoisseur. Or, as Donà himself puts it, “Wines that do you good.”

The Seppi family has run the Oberpreyhof in Caldaro since 1885. So it’s no wonder that particular attention has been paid to tradition here. Or, as Markus Seppi puts it, to “maintaining the heritage of the forefathers to pass on to the next generation.”

For the Seppi family, those are more than just pretty words. Thus the vineyards in the Caldaro locations of Prey, Barleith, and Lavason are managed gently, there is a focus on undergrowth that is rich in species, and herbicides are avoided. “In the end, only a healthy, living soil brings forth healthy, resistant vines which, in turn, bear good grapes,” Seppi says.

The vines are supported in the classic pergola system, although not only as a nod to the predecessors at the estate, but also for practical considerations. Thus the Seppis consider the pergola trellis to be the optimal training method in the estate’s vineyards with a southern exposure. They distinguish themselves by hot days and cool nights which guarantee a regular maturation of the grapes and foster the development of extracts and aroma substances.

And in the end, an eye is also kept on tradition with the selection of the varieties, with the Seppi family greatly concentrating (and in fact even more and more) on indigenous varieties. Thus Lagrein and Schiava form the foundation of the Oberpreyhof in Caldaro. The latter is used for the classic Lago di Caldaro, and in addition to that, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Yellow Muscat are also found in the assortment. In addition, grappas that are produced at the estate can be tasted in the vaulted cellar from the fifteenth century.

Welcome to Bethlehem! No, not the one you’re thinking of, but rather in Termeno. In the local vernacular, its oldest quarter is called – yes, really! – Bethlehem, and that is where one of the oldest farmhouses is found in the winegrowing village in the south of Alto Adige: the Rynnhof. And even if there is an obligation to history, the operation is more than modern.

The historical estate “an der Rynnen” appears in a document for the first time in 1438. Not only is it located right in the middle of the vineyards of Termeno, at the time it was in fact at a watercourse from which its name is derived. The watercourse is no longer there today, but the vineyards are. And since 2011, they have been managed by Johann and Nathalie Bellutti strictly according to organic guidelines. “This method of cultivation and our connection to nature make our wines something special,” Johann Bellutti says with conviction.

He was born at his parents’ Rynnhof with its medieval heart of a building, the stone-framed window flanning, and rounded arch gates, and this is where he also discovered his calling for winegrowing. And he cultivates his career and his calling, as he himself says, “In the Termeno tradition and the carefree quality of young ideas.”
And thus wines with great character come into being: Pinot Blanc, Lagrein, Schiava, and, it goes without saying for Termeno, Gewürztraminer. For them, for his products, Bellutti has coined a slogan that is as simple as it is catchy. He calls it plain and simply “Free Wines”.

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.

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.”

“Working with nature means making compromises, compromises between acting and letting go. This balancing act is our daily challenge.” Since 2011, Marlies and Martin Abraham have been walking along this narrow tightrope. Since that time, they have been growing grapes themselves in the vineyards of the Abraham Estate Winery in San Michele-Appiano, saying, “If we are successful with the balancing act, then great wines emerge.”

For these “great wines”, we can also thank the variety of locations that the Abraham Estate Winery has. Their vineyards are scattered between San Paolo, San Michele, and Cornaiano at elevations from 450 to 700 meters. And because every vineyard has its own special features, the Abrahams have seen to it that only the most suited grape varieties grow in each one.

And with the selection of them, they also go back to tradition. Thus the vineyard above San Paolo has been planted for more than sixty years with Pinot Blanc. The grapevines in Appiano also have deep roots. In the hamlet of Weißhaus, the grandfather of today’s operator had already planted Pinot Blanc as early as 1955. And the small-berried Schiava grapes also grow between Appiano and Cornaiano on vines that are more than fifty years old.

So time seems to play a particular role at the Abraham Estate Winery. Because they take their time not only in the vineyards, but also inside the winery. Particular attention is paid to time: that, too, is part of the balancing act between acting and letting go.

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.

For three generations, the Andergassen family has been making wine in the wine cellar of the Steflhof estate in Caldaro, and two of them are still at the helm even today: the senior with a watchful eye on tradition, and the junior with one on innovation. But it doesn’t matter whether it is father or son: the credo at the Steflhof is that a vintage already has its beginning in the vineyard. “That is where the bouquet and the individuality of the wine are decided,” explains Georg Andergassen.

So it is certainly no wonder how much value the Andergassens place upon the leaf trimming, but above all else on a strict reduction of harvest quantities and the correct harvest time. “Hitting these is a challenge every year,” says Georg. And this challenge is only to be met with a great deal of knowledge and experience, just as a great deal of experience and knowledge about the taste of the customers is needed in order to find the right time for pumping, blending, and bottling.

The fact that the Andergassens have the right knack for this is proven by their wines, first and foremost a fruity Chardonnay, a Lake Caldaro superiore with fine tones of almond, and a full-bodied Merlot that is aged in oak barrels. Anyone wishing to be convinced of the constantly high quality of the wines at the Steflhof would do best with a winery tour. And that concludes traditionally – how could it be any different? – with a tasting.

For more than twenty years, Karl Kasseroller has run the Strickerhof in Frangarto in the community of Appiano organically. The broad reaching effects which that has on the environment have been proven by a study from the University of Innsbruck. It shows that in none of the estate wineries that were studied were so many soil organisms found as in the soils of the Strickerhof.

The estate winery in Frangarto has been in the possession of the Kasseroller family since 1834, but in the beginning it still carried the name Schlafferhof. Only when a new farmhouse was built next to the old one in 1907 did it get the name Strickerhof, as well as its own winery. Josef Paul Kasseroller was responsible for both of them at that time, and today the selected Strickerhof wines carry his initials JPK .

While the foundation was laid in 1907 for a flourishing operation, a decisive step for development followed nearly a hundred years later, taken by today’s proprietor Karl Kasseroller. In 1998, he converted the entire operation to organic cultivation. “It was a decision based upon conviction, and I am proud that since that time, we have been able to offer our customers organic products at the highest level,” Kasseroller says.

The assortment from the Strickerhof includes such classic varieties as Chardonnay, Schiava, and Lagrein, but also Yellow Muscat and the fungus-resistant variety Bronner. And they all feel right at home on the warm, humus-rich, sandy loam soils of the Strickerhof. As much at home as the numerous soil organisms, apparently.

In the winegrowing village of Cornaiano, it’s always appropriate to have passion for wine – but of course only if the passion has already been in the family. With Lorenz Martini, that is precisely the case. He earned his stripes in the family’s own winery and then took the next step: to sparkling wine.

Within that context, it goes without saying that his many years of experience came in useful, and the fact that he had started from the very bottom up to learn to work with his hands. And from all of this it can be seen not least from the fact that Martini consistently focuses on quality. In his winery specializing in sparkling wines, grapes from Cornaiano, Appiano-Monte, and Cologna are processed. “In spite of the Mediterranean climate, these locations provide our sparkling wine with a pleasant freshness and an unmistakable aroma,” Martini says.

To make the sparkling wine, he uses 30 percent Chardonnay, another 30 percent Pinot Blanc, and 40 percent Pinot Noir, with four vintages aging in his vaulted cellar at the same time. Because in the Lorenz Martini Winery dedicated to sparkling wines in Cornaiano, production is according to the classic méthode champenoise bottle fermentation, so the wine is on the yeast for three years. After that, it continues to age in the bottle, with each one being riddled by hand.

In that way, a sparkling wine is created which has been described by experts as “having a scent of fresh bread crust and honeycomb with light tones of citrus fruit” and “a good mouth-feel, full-bodied, and harmonious in taste.”

Sparkling wine which, as can be read by this description, awakens the poet in us.

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”.

Wines that are matured in a bunker and an air raid shelter, wines that are served at state banquets, wines that bear the seal of the Republic of San Marino: all of these are wines from the Korb Castle Winery in Appiano. It is first and foremost winegrower Fritz Dellago who puts his stamp on them with his creativity.

Along those lines, all of that begins in the vineyards of the castle winery, which encompass only four and a half hectares but also a broad selection of grape varieties: Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Schiava, Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, Lagrein, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Manseng. “I like the diversity, and I also don’t have a favorite grape variety,” Dellago says. “Each one has its own character, and I am fascinated by any successful wine.

So it’s no wonder, then, that the focus in the winery is on emphasizing the character of each wine that is typical for the variety. “Nothing should be faked, the wines should be genuine,” the winegrower says. As down-to-earth as the philosophy is, that’s how creative the methods are. Dellago matures his wines in a former bunker and makes use of an old air raid shelter as the cellar for small oak casks and the riddling racks where his sparkling wine is riddled by hand.

The results have drawn great attention – worldwide, it could be said. The Korb Castle Winery is the official wine producer of the Republic of San Marino. And at the Olympic Games in both Beijing and London, wines from this Appiano winery were served at state banquets.

How can an operation that was founded in 2005 have deep roots? The Bellutti Vineyard Estate in Termeno shows how it’s done: with an uncompromising path to the highest quality and their concentration on indigenous varieties. Exclusively indigenous varieties.

So the Bellutti Vineyard Estate is not even twenty years old, and with grape growing areas of 2.8 hectares in Termeno, it is also substantially manageable. And because the vineyard area is small, the product line is also not exhaustive. But that also has a second reason: winegrower Christian Bellutti concentrates only on indigenous varieties – on Lagrein, on Lago di Caldaro and thus Schiava, and on Gewürztraminer. Above all else Gewürztraminer.

The local varieties have the advantage of finding their optimal terroir here, and in the winery, Bellutti places great value upon it being possible to taste this terroir in the wines. “Our goal is to produce single varietal, elegant, genuine wines that do not have an overpowering effect and which reflect the individual varieties and locations as well as the vintage,” he explains.

For Bellutti, an uncompromising orientation toward the highest quality is furthermore necessary. In both the vineyard and the winery, the work is carried out with expertise, commitment, modern technology, and a love of detail. In the end, therefore, by following traditional, tried and true values.

Only with the sales does Bellutti follow an unusual path: the wines from his vineyard estate go over the counter in his own wine bar. But it is not within the property of the vineyard estate, but rather right in the middle of Termeno – at the main town square.

Three generations that all produce wine together? What may sound like the potential for conflict works quite well with the Pfitschers in Montagna. “Perhaps because we’re a little bit like our wines: different in character, but always direct and honest,” says the manager, Klaus Pfitscher, with a smile, the head of the Montagna “wine fools”, as he himself calls his family.

Thus every generation at the Pfitscher Estate Winery brings along something of their own: new ideas from one, a lot of experience from another, new knowledge from the former, the advantage of having already been through it all from the latter. But the most important thing for good cooperation is a common goal, says the senior member: “For us, it is filling the glass with elegance, character, and the best that nature can offer.”

For 150 years, the Pfitscher family has pursued this goal, of producing clear, linear wines with their very own identity, above all Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. The fact that this has been successful may be due to the steep vineyards or the cool climate at elevations between 500 and 900 meters. Or perhaps a mixture of both, combined with a particular focus on nature. Thus the Pfitscher Estate Winery was the first in all of Italy to be awarded as a “ClimateHouse wine. ” This distinction is conferred not just for adhering to particular requirements for the energy efficiency and sustainability of the building, but also for producing in an especially environmental friendly and resource-conserving manner.

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 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.

So when in Alto Adige, do like the locals! In the vineyards of the Happacherhof in Ora, the students of the Agricultural High School learn how a vineyard is managed and how the grapes that are obtained are turned into wine. Really good wine.

The Happacherhof Estate Winery thus stands out and represents something special in the landscape of Alto Adige winegrowing. It is managed not by a committed winegrowing family, but rather by just as committed teachers and their students who can learn the techniques of winemaking right from the very bottom up.

In order to make it possible for the students to have the broadest possible and also most detailed view of winegrowing, different varieties were planted on the approximately four hectares that belong to the Happacherhof (as well as those in the immediate vicinity), specifically with different trellis systems and according to different criteria. The palette of varieties comprises Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Lagrein, whereby the latter occupies a special position. It is produced along organic guidelines so that the students can also gain experience with this method of management that is becoming more and more important.

Regardless of the variety, trellis system, or method of cultivation, the grapes that are produced at the Happacherhof are then made into wine at the school’s own winery. “The preparation of wine is an important part of the practical lessons of our students, who have decided upon winegrowing and oenology as the direction of their main focus,” explains school director Christian Gallmetzer.

If the search is for three terms that most accurately describe the Unterhofer Estate Winery in Pianizza di Sopra, they would indeed be: tied to nature, determined, and family-run.

Let’s start with the term “family-run”: the Unterhofer Estate Winery is a family operation, and thus one in which not only has the operating family given its name by bearing the brunt of the work on their own shoulders, the wines that come into existence here are also imprinted with their very own stamp. At the same time, the term “family-run” describes a second aspect: the manageability, that “good things come in small packages”.

The term “tied to nature” fits the Unterhofer Estate Winery because the entire philosophy is oriented toward this. “We work our largely very steep, airy slopes as close to nature as possible,” explains winegrower Thomas Unterhofer, “and we also view ourselves as caretakers of the landscape.”

Landscape caretakers who in any case also produce wine with passion. And, in so doing, have clear goals in focus – so “determined”. Thus the motto applies in the winery to also bring the high grape quality that was achieved in the vineyards into the bottles. The results are expressive wines which, with the exception of Schiava, are for the most part white: Kerner, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Blanc. “Our wines are character wines,” Unterhofer adds, “unique, reflective of their vintage, and with a very personal signature.”

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.