This tasting took place following the Club’s AGM.
Wine Club Members with long memories may recall Nancy’s visit to the Club back in November 2017, when she introduced a number of Mountain Wines, including two from the Alto Adige which are from vineyards also featured in this tasting. So, an interesting degree of continuity here with themes such as climate change and the Laimburg Research projects being as – if not more – relevant today as they were back in 2017.
The region was introduced to us not just by Nancy but courtesy of a beautifully produced video from the Alto Adige Tourist Board. As Nancy said, it well deserves its designation as a World Heritage Site.
First the orientation bit – the area is alpine and is the most northerly part of Italy, with the Austrian Tyrol to the immediate north. This means the area is distinctly bi-lingual, with German predominating in some areas. Not surprising since the Südtirol-Alto Adige was part of Austria until it was annexed by Italy following WW1.
The region is divided by two rivers – which are known by two different names, the Adige (Etsch) and the Isarco (Eisach) and which join at the region’s capital, Bolzano. The Alps help protect the area from the cold winds from the north. As might be guessed, the vineyards are at high altitude (around 300 – 1,000 m) with the steepness of the slopes creating ideal conditions for long slow grape ripening – as well as the need to practise what Nancy called ‘heroic viticulture’. Nothing mechanical on terraced slopes this steep! Nancy reckoned that valley vineyards need around 30 hours work per hectare; the mountain vineyards need 80 hours.
The altitude, said Nancy, is the region’s ‘trump card’. It’s why they can produce wines of such freshness. With each 100-metre gain in height the temperature drops 1° C (equivalent to moving 80 km north).
The bonus is that higher altitude also gives higher UV levels and aids the development of both flavonols (phenolic yellow pigments) and flavonoids (phenolic compounds). With high altitude however comes the risk of significant hailstorms, although unlike in lower-lying areas there are no frost pockets. The significant diurnal temperature range helps to retain acidity in the grapes and as a result the region is renowned for its fresh white wines. It is said that one can use ungrafted root stocks at high altitude since the phylloxera louse is deterred at height (and in some sandy soils). There are an estimated 150 different soil types as a result of the area’s complex geology. Alto Adige lies at approximately a latitude of 46N, about the same as Montrachet or Washington State. The valley floor, to the south, is one of the largest apple-growing areas in Europe.
Only 1% of Italian wine production is from the Alto Adige but 98% of these are of DOC level. Alto Adige has three main DOCs – Valdadige, Alto Adige (for international grape varieties) and Caldaro/Kalterer (exclusively for Schiava). There are however several sub-zones and about 86 unità geografiche aggiuntive (“additional geographical units” or UGAs) that can be used on labels, but only for specific grape varieties.
There are around 4800 wine growers and the area under production is about 5800 hectares. The average holding is about 1.2 hectares with production about 40000 bottles per annum. 65% of production is of white wine. There is a wide variety of grapes grown including many indigenous varieties. Of these, the red grapes Schiava and Lagrein have been documented as growing in the Alto Adige since the 1300s.
Twelve co-operatives control an estimated 70% of wine production in the area, 33 private companies about 25% and about 109 independent producers the remaining 5%. These independent producers are mainly a legacy of the area’s Austrian imperial history. The three groupings are united in a Consorzio Vini Alto Adige, founded in 2007, which acts as a coordination, advisory and marketing umbrella group.
Now, the wines!
Wine 1 – 2023 Sylvaner Aristos, Cantina Valle Isarco, Isarco DOC, 13.5% £19.50
From the youngest of the co-operatives and with about 135 members the smallest. The same co-operative was featured in Nancy’s 2017 tasting. Stefan Donà is the wine maker. Armin Gratil the general manager. The grapes selected for the production of this wine come from the sunny vineyards that surround the now abandoned Sabiona monastery, known as the “Acropolis of Tyrol”. The altitude of the vineyards is 500-700m. Soil is gravelly shallow and alluvial. Aristos is their premium level of wine. Hand harvesting, short skin contact and 10 months on the lees. Ageing is partly in stainless steel tanks, partly in large acacia wood barrels. Appearance is yellow with greenish hues, nose is fruity with some minerality and on the palate marked acidity, light green apple notes, some waxiness on finish perhaps as a result of the acacia wood. (Acacia is a locally grown wood, like oak used as an oxidising aid, gives a lighter flavour than oak and is somewhat cheaper. Acacia is increasingly used in for example Australia, New Zealand and Chile.)
Wine 2 – 2023 Riesling, Falkenstein, Valle Venosta DOC 12% £21
Produced in the area around Merano. The family-owned property comprises about 14 hectares of vineyards, of which about 6 are Riesling plantings, on south-facing terraces at an altitude between 600 and 900 m. Like Wine 1, this wine is matured in acacia wood. Some citrus and herbs on the nose and palate, as well as the to-be-anticipated hint of petrol. On the palate dry, minerality and with some apple type fruits and evident acidity – plus perhaps a hint of quince?
(Reinhold Messner the mountaineer and a local from the South Tyrol, opened the Messner Mountain Museum (MMM) in 2006, a museum that unites within one museum but six locations the stories of the growth and decline of mountains, culture in the Himalayan region and the history of South Tyrol. He is credited with saving the castles the museum occupies for posterity.)
Wine 3 – 2022 Pinot Bianco Vorberg Riserva, Cantina Terlano, Terlano DOC 14% £35
From a co-operative founded in 1893 and which has 143 members. Located very near Bolzano. ‘One can cycle there’, said Nancy. Very ecologically minded, with a grass roof on the winery, which is gravity fed and mainly located below ground. Pinot Bianco is considered to be one of the local grapes with the greatest potential and is the subject, along with Pinot Noir, of a Laimburg research programme. Grapes are grown at between 450 and 650m. The light, sandy-loamy soils are the foundation for naturally limited yields. Manual harvesting, whole bunch pressing. Clarification of must by natural sedimentation. Slow fermentation in large oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation and aging on the lees in traditional wooden barrels for 12 months. The winery uses an RD type of approach to ageing, so aged in stainless steel vessels after initial treatment with some lees contact (like champagne). On the nose, lots of ripe apple and some pineapple, with mineral notes and some herbs. Similarly on the palate, with a creamy lingering slightly spicy after-palate. Nancy, who has tasted 20-year-old vintages reckons this approach to vinification and ageing enables Pinot Blanc – often thought of as a less than premium grape – to age with grace and complexity, though the RD philosophy keeps them fresh.
Wine 4 – 2022 Brenntal Gewürtztraminer Riserva, Cantina Kurtatsch, Alto Adige DOC, 15% £27
From the area south of Bolzano, near the town of Tramin – although the grape is not believed to have originated from there. From near Brenntal – the burning valley – where the west side of the valley can be very hot indeed. To the north-west of the town of Kurtatsch. The cooperative was founded in 1900, has c 190 hectares of vineyards and 190 members and has a rather spectacular (architecturally) winery. Grapes are grown between 220 and 300m on south-eastern steep slopes on red sandy, loamy soil with clay minerals and oxides. Temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks; ageing on the fine lees in stainless steel and concrete tanks, min. 6 months bottle ageing. On the nose, lychees, orange peel and perhaps some lavender. On the palate, somewhat full-bodied, but with balancing acidity. Residual sugar is c 6.5g/l. The wine is released as a riserva two years after harvest because it is felt it reaches its full complexity after extended ageing in the cellar and the bottle. Capable of ageing, they say for up to 20 years.
We tried a 2015 blend of Gewürtztraminer and Moscato Giallo from this producer at Nancy’s 2017 tasting.
Wine 5 – 2022 Flora Pinot Noir Riserva, Cantina Girlan, Alto Adige Doc, 14.5% £31 (in Majestic)
From one of the largest co-operatives, founded in 1923 and with over 200 members and approximately 230 hectares of vineyards. Also one of the most southerly producers in the Adige area, south of Bolzano and on the eastern side of the Adige River. Grapes are from three Pinot Noir-growing regions: Girlan, Mazon, and Pinzon. These selected plots are particularly suited due to their microclimatic characteristics. The vines are located at an altitude of between 380 and 530 meters above sea level and originate partly from moraine deposits on volcanic porphyry rock and partly from west-facing, loamy limestone soils. The grapes are harvested by hand and delivered in small containers. After destemming, the must is transferred by gravity into steel vats, where fermentation takes place (20-22 days). Following malolactic fermentation, the wine ages for 12 months in barriques (70%) and small 12 hectolitre wooden barrels (30%). They use mainly Slovenian oak. Finally, the wine ages for a further 6 months in the bottle. Characterized by fresh aromas of wild berries and sour cherries. On the palate plenty of ripe red cherry fruit. Delicate tannins with a long finish. Residual sugar c 0.3g/l. The bottle label was designed by the South Tyrolean artist Paul Flora.
Wine 6 – 2023 Vernatsch/Schiava, Abbazia di Novacella, Alto Adige DOC, 12.5% £13.50
Wines 6 and 7 were served together. Both grape varieties are indigenous – Vernatsch/Schiava is also somewhat confusingly known as Trollinger.
The Abbey (Abbazia) was founded in 1142 and is Augustinian. Grapes are grown at 350-420m in the southerly Bozen area and vineyards are north facing to protect from the sun. Guyot training method with some pergola (which helps shade the vines against the full impact of the sun). Fermentation on skins for 5 days, malolactic fermentation in stainless steel. Light in colour and low in tannins, mild acidity, some dark fruit on nose and palate. Something like a Beaujolais.
Wine 7 – 2023 Lagrein, Elena Walch, Alto Adige DOC, 13.5% £19.50
Run by former architect Elena Walch and her two daughters, Julia and Karoline, who are now the fifth wine-making generation to run the business. Sustainability is key to their approach, including the use of lightweight bottles. Wines are matured in an old silver mine. Vines are grown at an altitude of 300-400m in an area to the south of Lake Caldaro (Kalterer See) in SE and SW facing vineyards. The lake is large but shallow so produces a unique microclimate. Hand harvesting, whole bunch fermentation with gentle punch down in acacia barrels. Malolactic fermentation in French and Slovenian oak. Dense in colour, with some chocolate and forest floor aromas. Evident but soft tannic structure and rich fruits on palate. Good balancing acidity. Somewhat rustic.
‘Wine 8’ – blending 7 and 8 together. A Wine Club Experiment
This should produce a wine similar to the wine Santa Maddalena, which is a blend of Schiava and Lagrein. Said to have a nose with primary aromas of black elderberry and cherry underpinned by bitter almond and a nuance of violet. On the palate, full fruit flavours, balanced acidity and low tannin content.
I’m not sure our blending achieved this!
Most of the above wines are available from Xtrawine (https://www.xtrawine.com) which ships direct from Italy and has reasonable prices for these admittedly expensive wines – but they do have a somewhat hefty delivery charge, as Nancy explained.
HRE 14.5.2025