Wines from South Tyrol and Trentino

Tenuta San Leonardo is a name that stands for red wine. For generations, the Guerrieri Gonzaga family in Avio, in southern Trentino, has been cultivating a Bordeaux blend that is considered by connoisseurs to be among the best wines in Italy. The fact that the house also makes white wine (and rosato) – and with the same precision – far fewer people know. Vette di San Leonardo owes its name to the peaks that surround the vineyards. Vette – summits, peaks – is the image San Leonardo has chosen for this Sauvignon Blanc: high, clear, unmistakable. The grapes come from Roveré della Luna, a village on the border between Trentino and Alto Adige, which is one of the best Sauvignon Blanc vineyards in northern Italy. The Dolomites as a backdrop, cool nights, a long ripening process on the vine. Hand-picked in September. Only steel, no wood. Five months sur lie on the fine lees – for texture and depth without external ageing.

Named after the Moar farm of the same name, which can look back on over 600 years of winegrowing tradition, this Classico embodies the soul of the St. Magdalener region. The vines grow on the south-facing slopes above Bolzano between 200 and 300 metres above sea level, where gravelly porphyry soils give the wine its unmistakable character. The classic cuvée of 85% Vernatsch and 15% Lagrein combines the best of two indigenous worlds: the floral lightness of Vernatsch with the structure-giving depth of Lagrein. After traditional fermentation, the wine matures in large oak barrels.

While the Magred thrives in the Mediterranean south of South Tyrol, the Gennen lies at the opposite end of the winery – in Nals, north of Bolzano, at 330 to 400 metres above sea level. A different world, a different character. No Ora wind, no Mediterranean flair. Instead: a continental climate, warm days, cool nights and a soil that has been washed. Literally. The subsoil is a 150 metre deep cone of debris from the Sirmian and Nals streams – 80% limestone gravel, 20% porphyry gravel, orientated east-southeast. This soil gives the Sauvignon Blanc its tension: striking minerality, salty flavour, aromatic precision. Cellar master Harald Schraffl ferments the clarified must for around three weeks in cool steel tanks and then matures the young wine for seven months on the fine lees – pure, without the influence of wood, focussing on freshness and structure.

Kretzer – that sounds rougher than the wine is. The old South Tyrolean word for rosé, once derived from the tart freshness of unripe berries, now has a completely different character: fruity, lively, with the unmistakable temperament of Lagrein. Because Lagrein is pure South Tyrol – an indigenous grape variety that has been at home between Bolzano and Terlano for centuries. As a rosé wine, it shows a side that the strong red wine does not always reveal: Lightness, freshness, accessibility. The grapes grow at an altitude of 250 to 280 metres in the flat, sunny vineyards around Terlan. Hand-picked, gentle pressing of the whole bunches, slow fermentation in steel – 6 to 7 months on the fine lees.

Goldmuskateller is one of the oldest grape varieties in South Tyrol, which until a few years ago was still considered moody and demanding. Manincor shows what this diva can become when given the right sites: Mareit Leiten at 350 metres, extremely steeply exposed to the south with warm gravel soils and moraine deposits. In addition, Vogelleiten and Panholzer with loamy limestone gravel soil – sites where the exuberant growth of the Muscat is tamed and reaches perfect ripeness. The destemmed berries macerate in the press for twelve hours to extract flavour and structure from the skins. Fermentation takes place in wooden barrels and steel tanks, mostly spontaneously with wild yeasts. During the five-month maturation on the fine lees, the aroma and flavour are refined – the wine develops the balance between fruit and minerality that characterises dry Muscat.

Lagrein – the "local hero" of South Tyrol, as cellar master Rudi Kofler calls it. Originally native to Bolzano, this indigenous grape variety has long since found a home in the Terlan area. Founded in 1893, the winery, the first co-operative in the village and today one of the most prestigious addresses for South Tyrolean white wines, also cultivates this traditional red variety with its own meticulousness. Harvested by hand, destemmed and fermented at a controlled temperature in stainless steel, the wine then matures for 7–10 months in large wooden barrels. This ageing process gives the Lagrein its velvety structure without overpowering the fruit.

The name reveals the origin: pepis made up of the classic Sauvignon vineyards Penon and Pinzon, which are located in the municipalities of Kurtatsch and Montan on opposite sides of the valley. A clever move – while one side receives its full ration of sunshine in the morning, the other is only spoilt in the afternoon. The result: grapes from 250 to 550 metres above sea level that ripen on calcareous, loamy, gravelly soils and benefit from extreme day-night fluctuations. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at a cool 19°C.

The name Glarea is of Rhaeto-Romanic origin and means gravel. The grapes for this mineral and very harmonious Chardonnay grow at an altitude of around 250 metres on the lower part of the Höllenbach debris cone in soils rich in limestone and gravel. Thanks to the low hillside location and the proximity to the valley floor, a unique microclimate is created here, characterised by considerable temperature fluctuations. During the day, the Glarea vineyards enjoy very warm temperatures, which are replaced by cool air masses in the late hours of the night and early morning, giving it a lovely tautness and freshness.

Pinot Grigio is sometimes mass-produced in northern Italy. Millions of bottles, pale style, interchangeable. And then there is the Cantina Terlan, alongside a few other serious winegrowers. At 270 to 350 metres, on the gently sloping porphyry slopes around Terlan, the Ruländer – as its old, more appropriate name – tells a different story. Hand-picked, gentle pressing, slow fermentation in steel, 5-7 months on the fine lees: a vinification that gives the grape variety room to show itself.

South Tyrol's now second most important red grape variety finds its perfect stage on the sun-drenched slopes of Andriano between 300 and 450 metres above sea level. Here, where calcareous clay soils meet dolomite rock, the Burgundian aristocrat unfolds its full alpine finesse. The unique microclimate of this altitude gives the thin-skinned berries their characteristic elegance and aromatic depth. The hand-picked grapes are gently destemmed and fermented at a controlled temperature to preserve the delicate flavours. A six-month refinement in stainless steel tanks on the fine lees gives this Pinot Nero additional texture and complexity.

The name Lepus – latin for "hare" – refers to the heraldic animal of the Haas family, which has been rooted in picturesque Montagna, south of Bolzano, since 1880. What began as a small family business developed under Franz Haas into one of the most visionary wineries in South Tyrol, causing a sensation with striking artist labels by Riccardo Schweizer and consistent screw caps. The Lepus embodies classic South Tyrolean white wine elegance: vinified from pure Pinot Bianco, the grapes come from vineyards in three different locations between 400 and 800 metres above sea level around Montagna, facing south and south-west on geologically diverse soils – from loose sandy soils to dense, weathered porphyry. The wine is vinified 80 per cent in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and 20 per cent in small oak barriques, followed by several months of ageing on the lees.

A real rarity: Ebnerhof is home to the southernmost Grüner-Veltliner vineyards in South Tyrol. What is mainstream in Austria is exclusive in the Isarco Valley – the grape variety has felt at home here for generations, but only a few winegrowers dare to try their hand at it. The Unterthiner family cultivates this Austrian legend on mineral-rich, gravelly soils at an altitude of 500 to 550 metres, where the special soil conditions give the wine its unmistakable signature. After gentle processing, the must ferments at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks, after which the wine matures on the fine lees – partly in small wooden barrels –which gives it additional depth.

Medium golden yellow colour. Spicy, intense nose with aromas of roses, lychee and lily blossom. Powerful and round on the palate with a full, creamy texture. Piquant and mineral notes are flanked by a fresh acidity and notes of apricot and honeydew melon. Gewürztraminer Stoass ends harmoniously in a finely fruity and smooth finish. SUPERIORE.DE

Greenish straw yellow in the glass. Peach and apricot dominate the nose when young, with an interesting minerality and depth added as the wine matures. On the palate, the wine correlates beautifully with the aroma, with an invigorating acidity and freshness that makes it dance with vigour. Ideal with starters, savoury first courses, spicy fish and delicate white meat. SUPERIORE.DE

The great estates in Bordeaux have shown the way: a so-called "second wine" is not the wine that didn't make it. It is another argument. Younger vines, different plots, shorter ageing periods – and thus a wine that is drunk earlier, appears fresher and shows a different side of the same terroir. Tenuta San Leonardo brought this concept to the Dolomites in 2005.