Lagrein grape variety

The evening fall winds of the Mendel Mountains characterise the entire terroir of the St. Michael-Eppan winery. They ensure cool nights and give the grapes those extraordinary characteristics that characterise the aromas, unmistakable freshness and longevity of the wines. The fall wind is the natural force that blows over the vineyard every day, positively influencing the climate and supporting the valuable work of the winegrowers at the cooperative winery.

Furggl is a field name that sticks in the memory. In the municipality of Auer, in the heart of South Tyrol’s Unterland region, this single vineyard is situated on alluvial soils composed of limestone and porphyry gravel, interspersed with sand and loam. A terroir that offers the late-ripening Lagrein exactly what it needs: warmth, depth and the soil moisture that ensures a consistent supply of water even in dry years. The vines, grafted onto low-vigor rootstocks and trained using the Guyot system, yield concentrated harvests of just 45 hectolitres per hectare. Following the hand-harvest in early October, the destemmed grapes first undergo a one-day cold maceration before fermentation takes place at 28–30 °C over ten days. Regular pumping over and gentle submersion keep the must in contact with the skins – , allowing colour pigments and fruit aromas to permeate the heart of the wine. After two careful rackings, the long ageing process begins: 12 months in French barriques, followed by 6 months in stainless steel, then a further 6 months of bottle ageing. Only after a total of 24 months’ ageing does this wine reach the customer – ready to drink, yet with the potential to age for a decade or more.

In the warm alluvial soils of Gries, where thirty visionary winegrowers laid the foundations for an extraordinary Lagrein tradition in 1908, one of the greatest wines in South Tyrol is still produced today. The Grieser Prestige embodies more than a century of accumulated experience with this indigenous grape variety, which forms the heart of Bolzano's wine culture like no other. Only the choicest grapes from the best vineyards with drastically reduced yields find their way into this Riserva – a selection that begins in the vineyard and is based on the highest quality standards.

At the foot of the hills below Söll, the hamlet of Tramin, lies the Steinraffler – a single, precisely defined vineyard that gives the Lagrein exactly what it needs: sandy, gravelly moraine soils with limestone deposits and volcanic deposits. Dry, airy, heat-conducting. Ideal for a grape variety that requires concentration. The speciality of the microclimate: the exchange between the cool mountain winds from the Alps and the warm Ora, the wind from Lake Garda, which blows up from the south every day. This tension – coolness and warmth in the rhythm of the day – is the invisible winemaker of the Steinraffler. The Vigna label, which Hofstätter was the first house in Alto Adige to put on a label, stands for a single parcel, a single voice. The Steinraffler is the highest expression of Lagrein in the portfolio. 15 months in small oak barriques, then 7 months in large barrels – the wood provides structure and depth without overpowering the typical varietal fruit. Then at least twelve months in the bottle before the wine leaves the winery.

Lagrein and Gries belong together like Nebbiolo and Barolo. The Bolzano district of Gries is the ancestral home of this indigenous South Tyrolean grape variety – first mentioned in writing in 1379, since then hardly anywhere else as convincing as here. Rudi Kofler puts it in a nutshell: "The alluvial soils of Gries are ideal for Lagrein. Because the Gries terroir is unlike anything else in Terlan. No steep slopes, no porphyry rock – but flat, post-glacial alluvial soil in the sunny Bolzano valley basin, where the Adige, Eisack and Talfer rivers meet and summer temperatures of up to 40 degrees are not uncommon. Loamy-sandy soils, lime-free, brooding. A terroir that gives Lagrein warmth and ripeness without taking away its tension. Hand-picked, destemming, slow maceration in steel, malolactic fermentation – then 12 months of ageing: half in large wooden barrels and half in barriques, one third of which is new. Precision meets depth.

From old vines in the best Lagrein vineyards in Gries near Bolzano comes this Riserva, which is strictly limited every year and has a seductively chocolaty, fruity bouquet. Rich, dark purple in colour with a slightly lighter rim. On the palate, it is velvety and elegant with a soft fullness and lively freshness, with further fruity accents on the finish. SUPERIORE.DE

The "Griesfeld" vineyard in Neumarkt is one of the best and warmest Lagrein vineyards in South Tyrol. Deep purple-red colour. Spicy bouquet with hints of blackberry, plum and cherry juice. Firmly packed on the palate, full-bodied with good freshness and primary fruit, vinous and delicately spicy; the warm tannins flank the very harmonious and deep final. SUPERIORE.DE

One of South Tyrol's great wine stories begins under the mighty lime tree that has given the historic estate its name for centuries. The Lindenburg in Bozen-Dorf, the family seat of the Lageders for three generations, towers majestically over the broodingalluvial soils of the Talfer – a location that connoisseurs praise as one of the two best for Lagrein in the whole of South Tyrol. Here, where millions of years of geological history have formed a unique valley basin, wines of legendary expressiveness are created.

Rubatsch is a vineyard in Terlan at 250 metres, on a south-western slope with sandy soil on weathered porphyry rock. Two thirds of the Lagrein vines for this wine are rooted here, while the remaining third comes from the Seehof vineyard in Caldaro, where the soil is loamier and heavier. Two soils, two characters, one indigenous grape variety that belongs to South Tyrol like the Dolomites belong to the horizon.

Mauritius – a name that evokes dreams of tropical islands, but here it embodies the ancient Latin name for the small village of Moritzing, where one of South Tyrol's most successful red wine cuvées is produced on warm alluvial soils. At an altitude of just 250 metres, the vineyards in Moritzing and Gries benefit from the Mediterranean microclimate, which offers both the autochthonous Lagrein and the international Merlot optimal ripening conditions. This symbiosis of two grape variety worlds – the alpine vigour of Lagrein with the Burgundian elegance of Merlot – creates a wine of exceptional complexity.

Lagrein Urban, named after the Urbanhof farm, where the grapes grow in excellent vineyards. Bright, dark ruby in colour, with a bouquet of spicy notes, dark fruit and fine chocolate. Very juicy and dense, with balanced roasted flavours and fine tannins. SUPERIORE.DE

Lagrein is South Tyrol's great indigenous red wine variety – and in the Linticlarus version it shows its full potential. The name honours the Roman Castrum Linticlar, the ancient fortress above the winery, whose history dates back to the Stone Age. The Linticlarus selection is only produced in outstanding vintages. The grapes come from the Breitbach, Gruben and Milla vineyards near Entiklar, at an altitude of 230 to 300 metres. The calcareous, sandy alluvial soils give the wine mineral depth and structure. Mash fermentation in stainless steel is followed by 12 months in barrique – more than a third of which is new – then 6 months in large wooden barrels and a further year of ageing in the bottle.

At the Wangger farm in Leitach, where moraine debris and sandy alluvial soil characterise the south-eastern slopes between 260 and 300 metres, Lagrein grows on the kind of soil that turns strength into stability. Here, in the classic growing area near Bolzano, where the indigenous variety has found its deepest expression for generations, Hans Terzer hand-selects the grapes that have the potential to age for more than a decade. Twelve months in barriques, then the assemblage – only when the true architecture of the wine is revealed. A further six months in large oak barrels to complete the harmony.

Tor di Lupo, the Wolf's Gate – a name that inspires respect. The flagship of Andriano was one of the very first premium Lagrein in South Tyrol. You could say that it is a primeval rock of South Tyrolean quality winegrowing. Since the early days, the winery has produced this Riserva from grapes from Gries near Bolzano, the classic home of Lagrein.

The roots of this story run deeper than any memory: the vines, which have borne silent witness for generations in the warm alluvial soils of Gries, are over 80 years old. Here, where in 1908 thirty visionary winegrowers laid the foundations for a legend, that masterpiece is created year after year – a wine that has long since become the undisputed icon of South Tyrolean winemaking: Taber Lagrein Riserva. It is a wine that embodies time. Time in the old vines, which, at an altitude of just 250 metres, transform the extreme temperature fluctuations between hot days and cool nights into pure concentration. Time in the patient handcrafting that selects only the finest grapes for this exceptional Riserva. And time for maturation, where, following traditional fermentation in wooden casks, perfection awaits after a full year in French barriques.

Born of fire. This is how the Cantina Terlan describes the red porphyry rock, between whose slopes the vineyards have nestled like small sun terraces. The rock is of volcanic origin, millions of years old, and it gives the area its unmistakable character – the wines their minerality, the cellar its façade, the wine its name. The porphyry is Terlan's red answer to the question of what Lagrein can be if you think it through to the end. No compromises. Three selected single vineyard sites, whose vines are almost a century old. Old vines yield little – but what they do yield is the sum of a long life in the grape flesh. Manual harvesting, destemming, slow maceration in steel – and then: 18 months exclusively in barrique, a third of which is new. No large wooden barrels, no compromises. Only barrique, only concentration, only depth.

Lagrein and Gries belong together like Nebbiolo and Barolo. The Bolzano district of Gries is the ancestral home of this indigenous South Tyrolean grape variety – first mentioned in writing in 1379, since then hardly anywhere else as convincing as here. Rudi Kofler puts it in a nutshell: "The alluvial soils of Gries are ideal for Lagrein. Because the Gries terroir is unlike anything else in Terlan. No steep slopes, no porphyry rock – but flat, post-glacial alluvial soil in the sunny Bolzano valley basin, where the Adige, Eisack and Talfer rivers meet and summer temperatures of up to 40 degrees are not uncommon. Loamy-sandy soils, lime-free, brooding. A terroir that gives Lagrein warmth and ripeness without taking away its tension. Hand-picked, destemming, slow maceration in steel, malolactic fermentation – then 12 months of ageing: half in large wooden barrels and half in barriques, one third of which is new. Precision meets depth.

"Colour and aroma that tell of blue berries from deep forests, velvety and length that make you forget time. Made from the autochthonous Lagrein grape." Michael Graf Goëss-Enzenberg, Weingut Manincor

Tor di Lupo, the Wolf's Gate – a name that inspires respect. The flagship of Andriano was one of the very first premium Lagrein in South Tyrol. You could say that it is a primeval rock of South Tyrolean quality winegrowing. Since the early days, the winery has produced this Riserva from grapes from Gries near Bolzano, the classic home of Lagrein.

The roots of this story go deeper than any memory: the vines are over 80 years old and have been bearing silent witness in the warm alluvial soils of Gries for generations. Here, where thirty visionary winegrowers laid the foundations for a legend in 1908, the masterpiece that has long since become the undisputed icon of South Tyrolean winemaking is produced year after year: Taber Lagrein Riserva. It is a wine that epitomises time. Time in the old vines, which at an altitude of just 250 metres transform the extreme temperature fluctuations between hot days and cool nights into pure concentration. Time in the patient manual labour that selects only the finest grapes for this exceptional Riserva. And time for ageing, where after traditional wooden barrel fermentation, a whole year of ageing in French barriques awaits completion.