Wine

Pinot Noir, as the South Tyroleans call it – and once you have understood why this grape variety sounds different in the Adige Valley than elsewhere, you will never forget it. The Tramin winery sources its Pinot Nero from slopes between 350 and 450 metres above sea level, on calcareous clay and gravel soils that store Mediterranean heat during the day and cool down quickly at night. This interplay of temperatures is not a climatic coincidence, but the actual tool: it preserves the freshness of the fruit, sharpens the flavours and keeps the tannins lean. Cellar master Willi Stürz – the quality conscience of the winery since the nineties – sees his Pinot Nero as a counter-model to heaviness: light, precise, with red fruit in the foreground.

Val di Suga is the only winery in the whole of Montalcino that has vineyards on all three important slopes of the denomination – north-west, south-east, south-west. Three exposures, three soil types, three microclimates. The basic Rosso is the direct expression of this diversity: a cuvée from young vines from all three sites, which unites the breadth of the territory in an accessible, lively wine. Bright ruby red in the glass. The nose reveals fresh red fruit, Morello cherry and a hint of orange peel – lively and precise. Fresh and round on the palate, with bright tannins and a juicy, animating finish. A wine for everyday drinking – but with the origin you can taste. SUPERIORE.DE

Fiulot – simply "the boy" in the Piedmontese dialect. A name that says it all: no heaviness, no complexity at any price, but the undisguised energy of a wine that is allowed to remain entirely with its fruit. 100% Barbera from the Astigiano – hills with clayier, moister soil than the sites around Alba, ideal for this lively, aromatically open style. Maceration of five to seven days at 28°C, malolactic fermentation before winter, then stainless steel until bottling in spring.

La Morra, calcareous sandy soils, north-eastern slopes – this is where the 20 to 40-year-old Dolcetto vines for Elio Altareclassic grow. The Barolo revolutionary, who shook up the Langhe with Burgundian vinification methods in the 1970s, remains true to his Dolcetto: a wine for every day, as the farmers have been drinking it with pasta for generations. Maceration takes just two to three days in rotary fermenters at a controlled temperature, after which the grapes mature for ten months in stainless steel tanks – puristic, without the influence of wood.

Sand. The name is geology – and programme. The Lagrein vineyards are located in Gries, a district of Bolzano, at 250 metres above sea level in a closed basin that is one of the warmest locations in South Tyrol. Sandy alluvial soils of the Talfer river, interspersed with porphyry – a subsoil that stores heat, releases it slowly and gives the Lagrein the depth it needs to develop to its full potential. Mediterranean, hot, with an intensity not found at the cooler altitudes of the mountains. Lagrein is South Tyrol's most distinctive autochthonous red wine variety – dark fruity, rich in tannins, with a typical bitter almond flavour in the final that makes it unmistakable. Hand-picked, carefully destemmed, fermented in steel with gentle pumping over, malolactic fermentation, then aged for seven months in 40-hectolitre wooden barrels.

Pinot Bianco arrived in South Tyrol as early as 1850 – and the Schulthaus site, above Castel Moos in Appiano Monte, is probably the most historic Pinot Bianco site in the entire municipality. The Schulthauser has been bottled as an independent wine since 1982 – and since then it has become one of the best-known expressions of this grape variety in South Tyrol. The vineyards lie at an altitude of 540 to 620 metres, exposed to the south-east, on limestone gravel soils with a light clay content – high enough for the evening downdraughts from the Mendel Mountains to have a daily cooling effect. Hand-picked at the end of September. In the cellar: 85% fermentation in steel, 15% in large wooden barrels with malolactic fermentation. Blending in February to create a wine that combines creamy softness and pronounced acidity in rare harmony.

The porphyry soils on which the vines for the successful cooperative winery's first organic wine are grown are of volcanic origin, and the former lava flows gave the elegant, fresh wine its name. It is a perfectly successful symbiosis of the organic origins of the Bolzano region and the contemporary high standards of fresh and crisp South Tyrolean white wines. Bright straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. Full bouquet of ripe apple, peach and hints of tropical fruit. Firm, precise and well-structured on the palate, its pleasant acidity carries it into a remarkable finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Rustico is Nino Franco's bestseller. Brilliant silver-green colour. Fresh aroma of apple, white flowers and cut grass, with a tart coolness and well nuanced fruit on the palate and a delicate melting texture. A stylish and very sociable all-rounder at a high level! SUPERIORE.DE

At the Löwenpass, tradition and lightness meet in a red wine of enchanting informality. Produced biodynamically according to Demeter guidelines, this cuvée combines Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with Petit Verdot and the autochthonous Vernatsch to create a harmonious quartet of different characters. Grapes with a natural freshness come from the calcareous gravel soils of Margreid between 230 and 320 metres above sea level. Careful vinification with mash fermentation at controlled temperatures and twelve months of ageing in large barrels preserves the lively fruitiness.

The spectacular steep slope of Römigberg rises high above Lake Kaltern – a location that comes particularly close to the ideal of a closed farm organisation. Here, oxen graze between the vines and the traditional pergola training protects the thin-skinned Vernatsch grapes from intense sunlight. On gravel-rich dolomite limestone between 250 and 330 metres, a Vernatsch of exceptional finesse is produced under biodynamic Demeter cultivation. The spontaneous mash fermentation in wooden barrels and stainless steel tanks, partly on whole bunches, gives this autochthonous South Tyrolean classic a special complexity.

Prinsipi from the small vineyard parcel of the same name was once developed by son Fabio as a 100 per cent Chardonnay and "little brother" of Bastia, but now 10 per cent Manzoni Bianco is added, which gives it more freshness and lightness. What also distinguishes it from the famous Chardonnay is the ageing in stainless steel. A fresh, crisp and very drinkable white wine that cuts a fine figure not only on its own and is now a firm favourite in the (now also organic) range. SUPERIORE.DE

A house that is world-famous for its monumental Barolo crus produces one of the best Moscato d'Asti ever – this is not a contradiction, but a Piedmontese matter of course. The grapes come from forty-year-old Guyot vines in Castiglione Tinella, on soils rich in limestone and clay, where Moscato Bianco has been at home for generations. After gentle pressing and natural cold clarification, the must is stored at the lowest possible temperature without the addition of sulphites – and only fermented in batches in an autoclave when required. At around 5.5 per cent by volume, a cold shock stops the fermentation and thus preserves the natural residual sweetness and delicate aromas.

Brigaldara's Ripasso is created by the secondary fermentation of Valpolicella wine on the pomace of Amarone della Valpolicella. The contact between the Valpolicella wine and the Amarone marc, which is still rich in sugar, triggers a new fermentation. Bright ruby red colour. Bright and cheerful with aromas reminiscent of dried cherry, plum, pear and apricot. This wine shows plenty of bright fruit definition with subtle hints of tobacco, spice and rose petal. The finish is smooth, polished and soft in tannin structure. Very structured and balanced, gaining complexity and finesse with further bottle ageing. SUPERIORE.DE

Merus – latin for "pure, unmixed". Tiefenbrunner's entry-level line stands for varietal character and natural elegance, bottled young and immediately accessible. This classic Bordeaux assemblage of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot comes from the vineyards of the South Tyrolean lowlands, the southernmost part of the province. The Brenntal and Frauenriegel vineyards near Kurtatsch, at an altitude of 210 to 380 metres, yield grapes from calcareous moraine soils. Vinification in stainless steel and concrete, followed by brief ageing in large wooden barrels – the result: freshness without heaviness.

A tribute to St Mauritius, patron saint of the small hamlet of Söll above Tramin – this is how the name for this characterful Pinot Blanc from the highest vineyards of the traditional winery came about. Between 400 and 600 metres above sea level, where the vines thrive on calcareous clay soil with gravel, the extreme temperature fluctuations between sunny days and cool Alpine nights shape the unmistakably "cool" character of this elegant South Tyrolean white wine.

The grapes for this Ripasso come from the Marne Bianche vineyard at Tenuta Maternigo – a vineyard that has been run by the Tedeschi family for generations. Corvina and Corvinone (35% each), Rondinella (20%) and 10% indigenous varieties such as Rossignola, Oseleta, Negrara and Dindarella grow here on moraine clay and limestone with a density of 5,500 vines per hectare. Vinification follows the classic Ripasso method: After 15 days of maceration at 28°C, the young Valpolicella is fermented on the marc of Amarone and Recioto – eight to ten days at a cool 18°C. This second passage gives the wine fullness and depth without stifling its freshness. It then matures for 15 months in Slavonian oak and a further six months in the bottle.

Trentanni was first produced for Falesco's 30th anniversary and combines equal parts Merlot and Sangiovese from the high altitudes around Montecchio and Orvieto. The mild climate and chalky soils give the cuvée elegance and structure. Intense ruby red colour in the glass. Ripe plum, dark cherry and blackcurrant on the nose, accompanied by Mediterranean herbs and a hint of vanilla from the six months of ageing in barriques. Balanced and juicy on the palate, with a fine tannin structure, lively acidity and clear fruit. The finish is long, savoury and subtly mineral. A wine with character and harmony that convincingly combines tradition and modern drinking pleasure. SUPERIORE.DE

The legendary Mockhof is enthroned high above Bolzano – a single vineyard site that offers Sauvignon Bianco perfect conditions for its development. Situated at an altitude of 500 metres on steep porphyry slopes, the vines benefit from extreme daytime temperatures and cool nights, which allow for exceptionally slow ripening. This exposed location is one of the latest harvest areas in South Tyrol – a circumstance that gives the Mock its characteristic aromatic complexity. Cellar master Stephan Filippi vinifies this single-vineyard wine with the utmost care: gentle pressing, temperature-controlled fermentation and maturation exclusively in stainless steel preserve the intensity typical of the grape variety.

In the vineyards of Eppan and Kaltern, between 350 and 500 metres above sea level, Pinot Noir finds the alpine conditions that allow it to mature into an elegant interpretation of the Burgundian grape variety. The grapes thrive on moraine debris with limestone and gravel in a temperate climate with cooling winds, which give the variety its characteristic freshness and aromatic clarity. The St. Michael-Eppan winery, one of the leading cooperatives in South Tyrol since 1907, cultivates its vineyards with respect for the grape and favours environmentally friendly cultivation with targeted yield regulation.

Gewürztraminer polarises opinion. Some love the opulence, the rose blossom, the exotic heaviness. Others avoid it for this very reason. Alois Lageder has a clear stance on this: Gewürztraminer should be aromatic – but not overwhelming. It should show juiciness, drinkability and mineral depth. No perfume that overwhelms. A grape variety that shows what it can do without forgetting its limits. The answer lies in the diversity of its origins: twelve winemaking partners in Margreid, Kurtatsch, Tramin and the Eisack Valley – 230 to 740 metres above sea level, calcareous and volcanic soils side by side in rare diversity. The warm Unterland sites provide substance and fruit, while the cooler Eisack Valley delivers freshness and finesse. Temperature-controlled fermentation in steel and partly in large wooden barrels, a small percentage fermented and macerated on the intact grapes. Matured mainly in steel on the fine lees for around four months.

In the gently undulating hills of Contessa Entellina in western Sicily, where Mediterranean winds meet calcareous clay soils, a Chardonnay with an unmistakable island character is produced year after year: La Fuga. The vines grow at medium altitudes between 200 and 600 metres above sea level, benefit from strong temperature differences between day and night and develop an expressive spectrum of aromas – far removed from the opulent style of many international representatives of the variety.