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Alto Adige is located in the northern part of Italy, on the southern side of the Alps, between …
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Wines from Alto Adige
Alto Adige is located in the northern part of Italy, on the southern side of the Alps, between Switzerland and Austria. Snow covered mountain ranges and high/low temperature swings influence the quality of these uniquely flavorful wines.
Longing for the Taste
When I am at a bar and ask the bartender for a pinot grigio, it means I am yearning for the scent and taste of green grass after a spring rain. When ordering a sauvignon blanc I really want something tangy (think green apples) with citrus aromas and lots of flavor, enhanced with herbal accents. More often than not, I am disappointed. I have to dig into my memory bank to conjure up taste thrills rather than enjoy the real-time palate / brain experience I want.
Pleasure in a Glass
Why do I mention this? Because the pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc wines from Alto Adige brought beautiful shades of pale yellow for me to see, wonderful aromas were delivered to my nose and distinct flavors were introduced to my palate. I am delighted! The afternoon spent with these wines made me very happy and I am delighted to share my good fortune.
It is the soil and climate of Alto Adige that separates its wines from all the others. Consider the uncommon mix of porphyry (igneous rock), quartz, mica, and dolomite; this gives the wines a distinctive and pleasurable mineral taste. Add to this unique terrior blend of high altitude vineyards and you get freshness and clean acidity. Pour on lots of sunshine for the ripening of the berries. Then stir into the mix profound temperature shifts for aroma and flavor. What is outcome? The wonderful wines of Alto Adige.
History Matters
Alto Adige is one of the tiniest wine-growing areas in Italy; it is also the oldest wine making region in Europe. History suggests that the Rhaetians (an ancient Alpine tribe conquered by the Romans in 15 BC) used wooden barrels for their wine in this region.
As we fast-forward through the centuries, the transalpine road “Via Claudia Augusta” brought pilgrims and merchants through this area and as they traveled they brought along vine seedlings and wine-making know-how. In the 8th century AD, Frankish and Bavarian monasteries developed climate-friendly wines (Potzner and Traminer). The first mention of the Lagrein variety was noted by Michael Gaismair (1525), a leader of the peasants of Tirol and Salzburg during the Great Peasant War of 1524-26 in Germany. The Romans occupied the Adige Valley and encouraged viticulture and the diverse groups that conquered the region through the centuries influenced wine making.
Today Aldo Adige accounts for 1 percent of Italy’s total production. Winemaking in this area is a cooperative effort (14 cooperative wineries) and the coops are responsible for approximately 70 percent of the output, producing many of the very best wines. In the mid-1980s winery directors Luis Raifer and Hans Terzer updated the 19th century coop system and modernized the industry. They reduced yields, set rigid standards for grape selection, and developed single vineyard bottling – resulting in the region reaching the top of the wine chain in Italian winemaking.
Tasting Notes
Pinot Grigio
1. Cantina Produttori San Michele Appiano Pinot Grigio 2011. DOC Alto Adige
• This wine is my new BFF. What a delight to observe the wine in the glass and to watch the pale yellow liquescent in the middle fade to a white as pale and transparent as water as it reaches for the glass barrier.
• The nose knows that this slightly spicy wine releases just a hint of minerals, flowers, apples and pears.
• On the tongue, memories of grass and sunlight. This green, racy and assertive experience on the palate almost shouts, “Remember me,” and I do!
• Enjoy alone or with a grilled sea bass or tilapia as well as barbecued king prawns. Also try it with fruit salads and mild cheese.
2. Kaltern Caldaro Pinot Grigio Soll 2011. DOC Alto Adige
• This wonderful pinot grigio is a wine from the single vineyard – SOLL; a southeastern facing slope above the town of Tramin at 450 to 500 meters above sea level.
• Twirl the liquid in the glass and note the deep yellow tint that trends to the hue of marigolds. Inhale the aroma of apples, peaches, freshly mowed grass and raisins… just a seductive hint; bold but not brazen. After a slow controlled fermentation, 20% of the wine is aged in barrique (small oak casks preferred for aging structured wines), with a total of 6 months on the lees.
• It is fresh and fruity and easily enjoyed on its own merits but delightful with an aged cheese or pasta with a cream sauce.
Sauvignon Blanc
3. Erste + Neuve Sauvignon Blanc Stern 2011. DOC Alto Adige
• Although the grape variety started in western France, it was introduced to this region in the 19th century during Austrian Hungarian encounter.
• The Erste + Neue winery has been part of the history of the Kaltern (a municipality in Northern Italy; southwest of the city of Balzano) wine trade for over 100 years. The 1986 merger of the Erste (“first”) wine co-operative (founded in 1900) with the Neue (“new”) wine co-operative (founded in 1925) produced a South Tyrolean winery noted for tradition and wine excellence.
• The beauty of the wine starts with a mesmerizing presentation of the almost white liquid in the glass that fades to a water–clear tone.
• The fragrance present is slightly spicy but the big surprise is the taste on the tongue; it is zesty, lively, refreshing – perhaps a cultured young lady on her first date.
• Growing up in limestone terrior gives it a zesty acidity and the fruitiness comes from the fermentation.
• Pair lovingly with a Salad Nicoise or a Camembert and fresh fruit.
4. Cantina Terlano Sauvignon Blanc Quarz 2010. DOC Alto Adige
• Think of straw in the sunlight as you watch the yellow liquid shimmer in the glass.
• The Quarz generously releases a bouquet of hyacinth, apples, berries, herbs, lemon peel, grapefruit, ginger and wildflower honey.
• Tremendous terroir on both the nose and the palate present a slightly tart experience (perhaps developed from the chalk, petrol and lime) along with amusing whispers of apricot, quince and grapefruit.
• The finish is very long, lovely and slightly salty.
• Drink accompanied by a goat cheese salad and herbal crusted lamb chops. Warning: One sip leads to many more.
Gewurztraminer
5. Elena Walch Gewurztraminer Kastelaz 2011. DOC Alto Adige
• An Elena Walch notable, the Gewurztraminer Kastelaz received 3 glasses by Italy’s prestigious Gambero Rosso guide.
• When swirled in the glass, the golden yellow wine releases an aroma of rose petals and spices with a touch of honey
• It presents itself as a full bodied wine bursting with a spicy floral taste on the tongue. It is so lovely that I wanted to both wear it and drink it. Although it is sweet, it is not cloying and delivers a clean and flavorful finish.
• Enjoy with Asian-Fusion cuisine (stir-fried pork with pickled plums) or an onion tart.
6. Tramin Gewurztraminer Nussbaumer 2011. DOC Alto Adige
• Beginning at the end of the 19th century, today Cantina Tramin counts approximately 300 member grape growers in its cooperative. The best known product from this coop is the Nussbaumer Gewurztraminer.
• The grapes come exclusively from the Nussbaumer Estate in Alto Adige and the fruit benefits from the 350-550 meter rise above sea level altitude plus the Lake Garda breezes. The long ripening season produces a wine that is complex and sophisticated.
• The grapes are vinified in temperature controlled steel tanks and spend 6 month on the lees of fermentation.
• Look into the glass and marvel at the pale lemon color. When swirled, this incredibly expressive gem offers rose petals, lychee, white peaches and a spicy note that is a total surprise.
• The true joy is in the first sip: a dry but powerful palate experience. Look for hints of cinnamon, ginger and white pepper that peek through and make this taste a lingering moment to remember. It is not too assertive and certainly not demure. It is not too acidic nor is it too sweet. It wants to become your friend – but perhaps not your lover.
• Enjoy as an aperitif or with a country bread, pate de frois grass and mature cheese or slightly sweet Thai cuisine – even spicy Chinese would be enhanced
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Schiava
7. Nals Margreid Schiava Galea 2011. DOC Alto Adige
• Schiava (Ski-ah-vah), also known as Vernatsch or Trollinger, is a variety indigenous to Alto Adige since the Middle Ages.
• The Galea Schiava is produced from 100 percent Schiava grapes.
• A blend of old (100+ years) and new vines, a strict selection process, and aged in stainless steel and oak barrels, the tasting experience is mild, refreshing and wonderfully flavorful.
• In the glass, the ruby red reminds me of a sunset at the end of a hot summer day. The aroma offers the nose lots of spice and cherries and conjures up visions of cherry jubilee.
• On the tongue the sensation is an earthy spiciness and sound acidity. The experience ends on a slightly bitter but pleasant note.
• Pair with veal or roast chicken, cured meats or a meat casserole.
8. Castelfeder Schiava Breitbacher 2011. DOC Alto Adige
• Schiava grapes are grown using the pergola method so that the vines are trained head high with a broad area under the canopy. This method is frequently associated with industrial level agribusiness and requires heavy cropping. It is important to note – as the Schiava grapes grown here may end up as bulk table wine for local consumption.
• Peer into the glass and enjoy the pale ruby red color that shades to a pink halo.
• For the nose the Schiava offers a trace of sour cherries with a hint of vanilla.
• The first sip and you know that is a delicious wine that is slightly tangy and ends with a slightly bitter (but pleasant) almond taste.
• While it will keep for 4-5 years it is best to open and enjoy while young and beautiful.
• Recommended with speck fatty bacon taken from pork belly and smoked over beechwood with herbs and spices) dell’Alto Adige served with gnocchi (potato dumplings).
Lagrein
9. Castel Sallegg Lagrein 2011. DOC Alto Adige
• Lagrein dates back to the 17th century. The variety flourishes in the area around Balzano
• In 1851 Castle Sallegg and the surrounding wine-growing estates were purchased by Archduke Rainer of Austria, Viceroy of Lombardy and the Veneto
• Ownership descended from Prince Henry Campofranco to the Counts of Kuenburg. The castle cellars are testament to the landed gentry and currently are state-of-the art with stainless steel, wood (from Slavonian oak for the maturation of the wines; they were individually crafted in the cellar to store the different red wines. This kind of wooden barrel stresses the primary flowery and fruity flavors in the wine) and barrique barrels (finished from French oak and provide optimum conditions for the maturation of red wines). This deep vault lies eleven meters underground and offers a constant temperature during the entire year.
• The Lagrein provides a beautiful ruby red color and offers hints of pineapple and orange combined with sea air to the nose.
• It is the intense flavor of aged dark cherries that makes this a taste sensation that is low in tannin.
• Enjoy with rare roast beef.
10. Tiefenbrunner Lagrein Riserva Linticlarus 2009. DOC Alto Adige
• At the end of the 14th century, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV indicated Lagrein as the pesten Poczner – the best of Bolzano – wines. Inhale the tangy smell of berries, fresh cherries and violets. Taste buds open to velvets with mild acidity.
• The vines are trained on the Guyot system resulting in wines that are intense and full of flavor. After aging in small oak casks, tones of spiciness add charm and character.
• Peer into the glass of the Riserva and note the deep reds that tip to purple. The nose picks up a mineral smell that is not unpleasant but definitely unusual.
• Fermentation and maceration in stainless steel tanks; malolactic fermentation and maturation in barriques for 12 months plus further ageing in large oak casks for 6 months plus one year in the bottle creates a memorable taste experience.
• Serve with braised or grilled meat, lamb or game. Try it also with a hard cheese and rustic breads.
Travel to Alto Adige
While it is wonderful to drink the beautiful and yummy wines of Alto Adige in the afternoon in Manhattan, it would definitely be better to be in this fabulous part of Italy and sip the wines while watching the grapes bask and mature in the sunlight.
There is no doubt that the wines of this region are worth the time and effort. Now where did I place that How to Learn Italian in 24 Hours video?
