Wines from South Tyrol and Trentino

Named after Cassian, the son of Count Michael Goëss-Enzenberg, who was born in 1996, the same year that Manincor opened its own winery. A name that symbolises a new beginning, the future and the next generation. The cuvée blends six international grape varieties from the estate's finest red wine vineyards: Manincor, Seehof and Panholzerhof, situated at altitudes of between 250 and 280 metres. Facing south-east with lake views, the vines are rooted in rich, sandy loam soils, interspersed with limestone gravel and glacial rock deposits – these plots are among the warmest in South Tyrol. Each grape variety is vinified separately. Fermentation takes place spontaneously in wooden vats using wild yeasts. The 16-month ageing in barriques (one-third new oak) refines the structure without overpowering the fruit. The blending takes place only shortly before bottling – the art of composition, in which character and individuality merge with festivity and elegance.

In 1557, a candle factory made Count Vincenzo Consolati wealthy enough to establish a country estate near Trento. In 1815, an Empire-style villa was built there for Count Simone Consolati, intended as a retreat from the worries of city life and a place to entertain friends. The First World War devastated the estate, but new plantings saved it. Foradori has leased the vineyards since 2007; the slopes face south, and the soil is red and interspersed with white rock, consisting of clay and limestone. Three hectares are planted with Nosiola, an ancient Trentino grape variety that once grew throughout the region but is now found only in the Valle dei Laghi, on the hills of Trento and in Pressano. The wine remains on the skins for eight months, in Spanish clay amphorae from Villarrobledo.

A sunny high plateau at an altitude of 400 to 450 metres, gently sloping towards the south and constantly bathed in fresh air – this is the site from which Manincor's Pinot Nero originates. This airy position ensures healthy grapes and a consistent ripening period – ideal conditions for a grape variety that forgives no negligence. The vines are deeply rooted in stony moraine gravel, interlaced with dolomite, porphyry, gneiss and granite. The barren, mineral-rich soil lends the wines tension, precision and unmistakable depth. Manincor relies on small-berried, compact French clones, with deliberately low yields – yet every grape seed is packed with concentration.

Tardus – Latin for 'late'. The name itself encapsulates the choice that sets this wine apart from most German Spätlese wines: Tiefenbrunner does not follow the northern model, but rather the Alsatian school of "Vendange Tardive" – concentrated, powerful, and designed to emphasise structure and aromatic depth rather than pure sweetness. The grapes ripen on the south-south-west-facing slope above the historic Turmhof estate in Niclara, at an altitude of 250 to 350 metres. Here, "Spätlese" means that the grapes remain on the vine for significantly longer, concentrating sugar, aromatics and extract before they are harvested.

The approx. 35-year-old Pinot Nero vines stand near the village of Rodel-Pianezzi at an altitude of approx. 500 m. Ruby-red wine with aubergine reflections. Frank, clean scent of wild strawberry, raspberry and delicious notes of tobacco. On the palate, a very well-balanced extract-tannin ratio, yet complex, soft and with a spicy-salty vein. The well-dosed use of wood and the finely meshed tannin create a good framework for further development at absolute Riserva level. SUPERIORE.DE

Off the beaten track, following a different path and with a different relationship with nature: this is how the estate describes this wine, which is the result of a collaboration between Foradori and the biodynamic winegrower Marco Devigili. Two hectares of Pinot Grigio are grown in Campo Rotaliano near Mezzolombardo, on alluvial gravel soil, and the wine is transferred to clay amphorae. The wine remains on the skins for more than eight months, allowing the grape variety time to reveal its delicate character.

Gewürztraminer is named after Tramin. This is not a marketing story – this is etymology. The name of the world's most famous aromatic grape variety bears the village itself, where Hofstätter has been based since 1907. And the Kolbenhof plot is located above Tramin, in the hamlet of Söll, on an eastern slope between 360 and 420 metres above sea level – one of the most historic estates in the entire village. This is where the Bolzano quartz porphyry slab meets the limestone of the Mendelzug. A geological interface that does not exist in this form anywhere else in the South Tyrolean wine-growing region. The soils with a high clay content absorb the warmth of the morning sun – the Kolbenhof is exposed to the east, protected from the midday heat – and slowly release it again. Cool, structured, elegant. This is the opposite of a sweetish mass-produced spiced Traminer: dryness with character.

Less than 1,000 bottles of this Gewürztraminer Riserva are produced each year. The grapes are harvested at the end of December - just when they are finely coated with the noble fungus Botrytis cinerea. Golden, almost amber-coloured sheen, quince, dried fruit and rose petals on the nose. Concentrated on the palate, delicate honey flavour, sweet and long. SUPERIORE.DE

2023 proved a real challenge for South Tyrol's winegrowers. The year began with extremely dry conditions, followed by a cool, rainy spring. The summer remained damp, punctuated by three heatwaves – the persistent dampness significantly increased the risk of fungal disease and demanded meticulous work in the vineyard. Andreas Kofler, President of the South Tyrol Wine Consortium, described it as a "year of extreme weather". But then came autumn: golden, dry, with warm days and cool nights – exactly the conditions that brought late-ripening red grape varieties such as Lagrein to full maturity. The vines are situated at altitudes of 230 to 300 metres, facing west to south-west, on gravelly soils composed of limestone and porphyry with sand and clay components, ranging in age from 20 to over 100 years. After harvest, the wine matures for twelve months in barriques, then spends a further six months in concrete vats, and rests in the bottle for at least another six months after bottling before leaving the winery.

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

Pinot Noir is the most demanding grape variety in the world. It forgives nothing – no wrong soil, no climate that is too warm, no impatient hand in the cellar. It has found its place in Terlan: Since the middle of the 19th century, Pinot Noir has thrived in the medium-high sites of the Monticol zone, at 450–760 metres, on light, weathered porphyry soils, where downdraughts provide cooling even at the height of summer. Rudi Kofler has long since said the decisive sentence: "The older vineyards produce a well-structured and, above all, elegant Pinot Noir." Elegance is not a marketing term here – it is the logical consequence of the location, soil and ripening process.

Bordeaux grandeur meets South Tyrolean clarity: Mumelter Cabernet embodies this union in its purest form. Named after the south-facing Mumelterhof estate near Bolzano, where, at an altitude of 330 metres, weathered porphyry soils and a sub-Mediterranean microclimate allow the international varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc to develop to their full potential. This cuvée of two Bordeaux classics combines the best of both worlds: the structure and power of Cabernet Sauvignon with the elegance and finesse of Cabernet Franc.

Pas Dosé – here, the dosage that is normally added is omitted; this dosage, applied after disgorging, determines not only the sugar content but also the style of the sparkling wine that has fermented in the bottle. Instead, the volume naturally lost during the years of bottle ageing is replaced by other wines from the estate, which do not, however, further affect the sugar content. The result is an extremely dry sparkling wine that is by no means lacking in body, character or finely nuanced flavours.

Two vineyards, each covering 2.5 hectares, the same grape variety, the same cellar ageing: the estate presents Morei and Sgarzon side by side to demonstrate the breadth of expression that Teroldego can offer. In the Trentino dialect, the name "Morei" means "dark", and the grapes from this vineyard live up to that promise. The alluvial soil of the Noce river here is full of pebbles, amongst which the roots rest in the sand, imparting density and minerality to the wine. Years of biodynamic cultivation had brought out the character of each plot, until it became clear that both sites needed to be vinified separately. The wine remains on the skins for eight months, fermented with wild yeasts in Spanish clay amphorae from Villarrobledo, and is bottled without filtration. 2024 was the wettest vintage in Trentino since 1921 – cool and wet – lending the Teroldego freshness and crisp acidity.

The name refers to a vineyard in Campo Rotaliano, and the vineyard lives up to its name: the vines thrive in a cooler climate, and the Teroldego acquires an unusual freshness here. 2.5 hectares of alluvial soil, predominantly sandy, demonstrate just how different the same variety tastes when the soil becomes lighter. Anyone wishing to understand why such an ancient variety has so many facets should look to the estate's research: In collaboration with the University of Milan, the estate has traced Teroldego back to the Neolithic period, to cross-breeds between wild and Oriental vines, and has discovered a close kinship with Syrah that is still not fully understood today. The wine is left to age for eight months with the skins in Spanish clay amphorae from Villarrobledo; it is fermented with wild yeasts and bottled without filtration. This ageing process preserves and enhances the differences between the vineyards – and they are significant. The 2024 harvest took place from 29 August to 30 September, following a cold, rainy June and July.

Vigna Crivelli is one of the most renowned white wine vineyards in the South Tyrolean Unterland. Named after Count Crivelli, a leading member of an ancient noble family from Margreid, the Chardonnay thrives here on alluvial soils of fine sand with silt and clay deposits under ideal conditions. The unique microclimate of this single vineyard is characterised by strong downdrafts from the Fennberg and the daily southerly wind, the ‘Ora’, which ensures perfect aeration of the grapes. The marked day-night temperature fluctuations allow for a long ripening period with optimal aroma development. The vines are planted on low-growth rootstocks and trained using the Guyot system.

In the historic vineyards of Mazon and Glen, where two micro-terroirs between 400 and 600 metres above sea level merge to form a poetic name, one of the most subtle interpretations of Pinot Nero in the whole of South Tyrol thrives. The fine Pinot Noir grapes ripen in a climate of extreme contrasts on sandy clay soils that lean westwards towards the evening sun. The Mediterranean warmth of the day meets the icy mountain winds of the night – a dialogue between passion and restraint that gives the Pinot Nero complexity and elegance. Ruby to garnet red in colour in the glass, with aromas of sour cherries and wild berries, accompanied by delicate orange notes and spicy hints. Fine fruit unfolds on the palate with a salty freshness, delicate, elegant and with a length that lingers in the memory long after the last sip. A Pinot Nero that combines Burgundian soul with Alpine precision, destined for a decade of ageing and beyond. SUPERIORE.DE

Lagrein is South Tyrol's great indigenous red grape variety – and in the Linticlarus version, it reveals its full potential. The name pays homage to the Roman Castrum Linticlar, the ancient fortress above the vineyard, whose history dates back to the Stone Age. The Linticlarus selection is produced only in exceptional vintages. The grapes come from the Breitbach, Gruben and Milla vineyards near Entiklar, at altitudes of 230 to 300 metres. The calcareous, sandy alluvial soils lend the wine mineral depth and structure. Following fermentation on the skins in stainless steel, the wine spends 12 months in barriques – more than a third of which are new – followed by 6 months in large oak casks and a further year of bottle ageing.

The Sanct Valentin line is the centrepiece of the St. Michael-Eppan winery and the Cabernet-Merlot is its only red cuvée. It has been part of this prestigious line since 2013, and the decision was a conscious one: not an experiment, but a red wine with the same claim to minerality, complexity and longevity that the white Sanct Valentin wines have embodied for decades. The vineyards are located in the warmest areas of the municipalities of Appiano, Caldaro and Cortaccia – at 250 to 400 metres, exposed to the south-west, on gravel moraine soils that drain exceptionally well and demand the concentration from both Cabernet and Merlot that makes extreme yield reduction possible in the first place. Merlot from the beginning of October, Cabernet in mid-October – hand-picked, individual selection, separate vinification. 20 days of maceration, 12 months in barriques and tonneaux. After blending, a further 10 months in steel to round off.

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.

The name alone reveals the poetry of this vintage sparkling wine. For decades, Perlé has been considered the essence of Ferrari's art, born from a meticulous selection of the best Chardonnay grapes from the Trentino mountains. The grapes for this Millesimato come from altitudes between 300 and 600 metres. Here, where the vines are bathed in mountain sunshine throughout the day but rest at night in the cool mountain air, the Chardonnay develops the mineral depth and aromatic complexity that makes Perlé so unmistakable. The Lunelli family only selects the very best batches – the grapes that most purely reflect the terroir. Perlé matures for almost five years on the fine yeasts – an exceptionally patient maturation period that gives the sparkling wine its characteristic creaminess and delicate yeast notes that harmonise perfectly with the fruity elegance of the Chardonnay.

The grapes for the Cortazo are grown in the hot Brenntal vineyard in Kurtatsch, which is ideal for ensuring the Cabernet Sauvignon reaches the required level of ripeness. A deep ruby red colour. A harmonious bouquet of violets and wild berries. On the palate, it is full-bodied and complex, with a lovely core of fruit and subtle extract sweetness, velvety tannins and a long finish. Excellent Storage potential. SUPERIORE.DE