Pinot Bianco

Praesulis Pinot Bianco is remarkably attractive. A luminous silver with straw-yellow hues. The bouquet offers peach, with subtle hints of red berries and sweet sage. On the palate, it is juicy, racy and salty, with great drive and a precise finish, accompanied by a blend of candied lime and salty minerals that cut through its silky textures. The finish is long and remarkably fresh, with a salty note balanced by a hint of candied citrus. It is already showing itself very well and possesses a fine balance with a long and steady development. SUPERIORE.DE

Anyone who underestimates Pinot Bianco simply hasn't drunk a good one. The variety loves windy locations, poor marl soils and cool nights – all characteristics that the Collio Goriziano offers in abundance. Schiopetto cultivates it on the Ponca slopes of Capriva, where small, compact grapes ripen with golden-coloured berries that need no support in the cellar. A special feature of the vinification process: the wine is fermented with Pied de Cuve – a proprietary yeast from our own vineyards. This keeps the fermentation authentic and the flavour close to the origin. Steel, eight months on the fine lees, no intervention.

Pinot Bianco reveals its aristocratic side at the high altitude of Zuc di Volpe. The privileged single vineyard site near Togliano offers ideal conditions for this elegant grape variety: cool nights, calcareous soils and excellent aeration, which enables slow, balanced ripening. Maturation in stainless steel tanks with an extended maturation period on the fine lees preserves the clear fruit and at the same time lends depth and structure. The nose reveals aromas of white peach, pear and a hint of camomile, underpinned by a fine nutty note. Finely crafted and precise on the palate, with a creamy texture, firm minerality and a long, balanced finish.

The Pratzner family keeps a few hundred bottles of each good vintage, which are then matured in the cellar for a further 6 years. These refined wines are then sold in small quantities as "Private Reserves" to selected retailers and restaurants, demonstrating the impressive ageing potential of their wines, which are matured for 10 months on the fine lees. Medium-bodied light yellow colour. Complex nose of pome fruit and lychee, the further 6 years of bottle ageing have given the wine a wonderful fullness and depth. We are delighted with the freshness and vigour that this Riserva radiates today. The final has an animating minerality with a pleasant smoky component. SUPERIORE.DE

At some point in the history of Nals Margreid, the Gambero Rosso even declared Sirmian to be the best white wine in Italy. We are not surprised. Above Nals, in the Sirmian district, the slopes lie between 500 and 700 metres above sea level. South-east facing, alpine climate: mild summers, cool autumns, a long growing season that ends in mid-October with the harvest. The soil is a geological archive: Permeable glacial moraine of limestone, gneiss, mica, slate and marble, deposited millions of years ago by glaciers in the Western Alps, resting on porphyry, the volcanic bedrock of the bedrock.

Pinot Blanc has been part of the Sanct Valentin line since 2001 – born out of the realisation that this long underestimated variety is capable of achieving extraordinary things at the high altitudes of Eppan-Berg. Between 450 and 600 metres, where limestone gravel and clay form the foundation, ten to thirty-two year old vines grow facing south-southeast. Extremely low yields from meticulously selected plots. Hand-picked at the end of September, then two different methods: one half fermented with malolactic fermentation and yeast storage in barriques and tonneaux, the other in large oak barrels. After just under a year, the wine is blended when it is clear what belongs together – then a further eight months of maturation in steel tanks to finalise the balance.

The "Vigna" classification guarantees and designates the origin of a single-vineyard wine in South Tyrol. The Pinot Bianco from the single vineyard San Michele from the Barthenau winery has a strong personality that fully unfolds after an additional year of ageing in the bottle. It has a rich bouquet of green apple and banana, a full-bodied flavour with plenty of fruit, a medium, finely balanced acidity and a long mineral finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Dellago comes from Pinot Bianco plots personally selected by cellar master Stephan Filippi on characteristic porphyry and limestone soils, where Archduke Johann of Austria established Pinot Blanc in South Tyrol as early as 1850. The special terroir with its distinctive temperature fluctuations between warm days and cool nights gives the hand-picked grapes the mineral precision that characterises Dellago. After careful manual harvesting, the grapes are gently pressed and vinified in two parts: The majority matures traditionally in stainless steel tanks on the fine lees, while a small but decisive proportion undergoes alcoholic fermentation and malolactic fermentation in French barriques – a subtle use of wood gives the wine additional structure and complexity without overpowering its Burgundian elegance.

Vorberg – the name gives away its location: on the steep southern slopes of the Tschöggelberg, at altitudes between 450 and 650 metres, a Pinot Blanc thrives that reveals the full potential of this famous South Tyrolean grape variety. The stony, sandy-loam soils, formed from weathered porphyry, with their high quartz content and slightly acidic pH levels, characterise a terroir of extremes: high water permeability, limited nutrient availability and naturally restricted yields. This microstress elicits unique, terroir-specific polyphenols from the vines. Hand-harvested, gently pressed as whole bunches, followed by natural sedimentation. Slow fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature in large oak barrels (70 and 30 hl), followed by partial malolactic fermentation and 12 months’ ageing on the fine lees in traditional wooden barrels.

Phileo is the Greek word for love, for affection, for sincerity in a relationship. Franz Pratzner did not choose this name by chance. He derived it from Filomena – his mother, the woman who shaped, moulded and lived the Falkenstein estate for decades. A wine as homage – it could hardly be more personal. The Phileo vines are planted on the Falkenstein vineyard itself, at 650 metres, south-facing, on a soil of gneiss, granite and slate – one of the most mineral-rich soils in the entire Vinschgau Sonnenberg. 9,000 vines per hectare, Guyot training, one kilogramme per vine. Maximum density, minimum quantity. What the vines achieve in this barren landscape is brought to the glass through malolactic fermentation and the targeted, restrained use of wood – creamy, structured, with a long ageing potential.

Eppan-Berg Schulthaus Pinot Bianco is a true classic among South Tyrolean Pinot Blancs. Its success began in 1982, when it was first vinified and bottled. A perfect, delicately fruity and fresh wine that is a pleasure to savour with its creamy softness and racy acidity. Smells of fresh spring green, the generous palate is characterised by mirabelle plum, nectarine and a vibrant freshness that leads to a refreshing finish with lemon and minerals. SUPERIORE.DE

Pinot Blanc – the supreme discipline of South Tyrol. The grape variety is considered the "number one white wine in South Tyrol" for good reason, and Markus Prackwieser's Renaissance Pinot Blanc Riserva elevates it to a level that few can match. Once again, it is the philosophy of the great Renaissance masters that is the inspiration here: universal expertise, perfection in detail, timeless beauty. Only in the very best years, when the terroir is at its most expressive, is this wine created – a work of art that needs two years to mature to perfection. The grapes come from the steepest plots of the Gump Hof, where calcareous moraines lie on solid quartz porphyry and the vines are exposed to the winds at an altitude of 400 to 550 metres. After gentle pressing, the must ferments completely in the large tonneau. Then comes the time that sets this wine apart from all others: twelve months in large wooden barrels on the first lees, a further ten months in steel tanks on the fine lees, followed by at least one year of bottle ageing before release. This patient ageing, which lasts over two years, gives the wine that extra mellowness, depth and finesse that distinguishes greatness from greatness.

Eichhorn vineyard – the name sounds like South Tyrol, like centuries-old vines rooted in sandy loam soils on volcanic porphyry weathered rock. As with the Sauvignon, this parcel is also located within the Tenuta Lieben Aich in Terlan, 300 metres above sea level, south-west exposed to the mild breeze. But where Tannenberg aims for maximum mineral tension, Eichhorn seeks a balance between Alpine clarity and Mediterranean fullness. This is where Pinot Bianco – pinot Bianco, as South Tyroleans call it – a variety that oscillates between restraint and expression. After a wet spring and hot summer, 2024 brought a golden autumn that allowed for physiologically perfectly ripe grapes. The grapes were harvested by hand at the end of September, striking an ideal balance between ripeness, freshness and moderate alcohol – a vintage that combines cool character with ripe fruit. The yield was 50 hectolitres per hectare. The destemmed berries remain in the press for eight hours for maceration – this is shorter than for Sauvignons because Pinot Blanc is more subtle in its use of structure. Spontaneous fermentation with wild yeasts in wooden barrels, followed by nine months of ageing on the fine lees.

Pinot Blanc has been part of the Sanct Valentin line since 2001 – born out of the realisation that this long underestimated variety is capable of achieving extraordinary things at the high altitudes of Eppan-Berg. Between 450 and 600 metres, where limestone gravel and clay form the foundation, ten to thirty-two year old vines grow facing south-southeast. Extremely low yields from meticulously selected plots. Hand-picked at the end of September, then two different methods: one half fermented with malolactic fermentation and yeast storage in barriques and tonneaux, the other in large oak barrels. After just under a year, the wine is blended when it is clear what belongs together – then a further eight months of maturation in steel tanks to finalise the balance.

Vorberg – the name gives away its location: on the steep southern slopes of the Tschöggelberg, at altitudes between 450 and 650 metres, a Pinot Blanc thrives that reveals the full potential of this famous South Tyrolean grape variety. The stony, sandy-loam soils, formed from weathered porphyry, with their high quartz content and slightly acidic pH levels, characterise a terroir of extremes: high water permeability, limited nutrient availability and naturally low yields. This microstress elicits unique, terroir-specific polyphenols from the vines. Hand-harvested, gently pressed as whole bunches, followed by natural sedimentation. Slow fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature in large oak casks (70 and 30 hl), followed by partial malolactic fermentation and 12 months’ ageing on the fine lees in traditional wooden casks.

The rarity wine symbolises Terlan's longevity: "A speciality of the Cantina Terlan are the rarities, special bottlings of mature white wines that have been stored for at least ten years on the fine lees in steel pressure tanks. The youthful freshness that characterises this Pinot Blanc despite its mature age is particularly impressive, making it perfect for longer ageing in the bottle. Terlan has the terroir to produce great white wines and skilfully demonstrates this with these rarities." Rudi Kofler, Kellermeister

The rarity wine symbolises Terlan's longevity: "A speciality of the Cantina Terlan are the rarities, special bottlings of mature white wines that have been stored for at least ten years on the fine lees in steel pressure tanks. The youthful freshness that characterises this Pinot Blanc despite its mature age is particularly impressive, making it perfect for longer ageing in the bottle. Terlan has the terroir to produce great white wines and skilfully demonstrates this with these rarities." Rudi Kofler, Kellermeister

There is one date worth remembering: 1967. In that year, former cellar master Sebastian Stocker placed the first white wines in pressure tanks that were actually intended for sparkling wine. There was no market for South Tyrolean sparkling wine, but there was an idea: what would happen if a white wine were left to age not for months, but for years – decades – on its fine lees? Stocker wanted to find out. His successors have refined the answer. Rudi Kofler, cellar master since 2002, has elevated it to a philosophy. The Rarity is the result of this patience. Outstanding vintages are first aged for twelve to fifteen months in large wooden barrels – then they are transferred to small 2,Liters, where they rest undisturbed on their fine lees: ten years, fifteen years, sometimes longer. Until Kofler decides that the time is right.

The "Vigna" classification guarantees and designates the origin of a single-vineyard wine in South Tyrol. The Pinot Bianco from the single vineyard San Michele from the Barthenau winery has a strong personality that fully unfolds after an additional year of ageing in the bottle. It has a rich bouquet of green apple and banana, a full-bodied flavour with plenty of fruit, a medium, finely balanced acidity and a long mineral finish. SUPERIORE.DE

There is one date worth remembering: 1967. In that year, former cellar master Sebastian Stocker placed the first white wines in pressure tanks that were actually intended for sparkling wine. There was no market for South Tyrolean sparkling wine, but there was an idea: what would happen if a white wine were left to age not for months, but for years – decades – on its fine lees? Stocker wanted to find out. His successors have refined the answer. Rudi Kofler, cellar master since 2002, has elevated it to a philosophy. The Rarity is the result of this patience. Outstanding vintages are first aged for twelve to fifteen months in large wooden barrels – then they are transferred to small 2,Liters, where they rest undisturbed on their fine lees: ten years, fifteen years, sometimes longer. Until Kofler decides that the time is right.

The rarity wine symbolises Terlan's longevity: "A speciality of the Cantina Terlan are the rarities, special bottlings of mature white wines that have been stored for at least ten years on the fine lees in steel pressure tanks. The youthful freshness that characterises this Pinot Blanc despite its mature age is particularly impressive, making it perfect for longer ageing in the bottle. Terlan has the terroir to produce great white wines and skilfully demonstrates this with these rarities." Rudi Kofler, Kellermeister