Wines from South Tyrol and Trentino

Fine Sauvignon Blanc from grapes grown on limestone gravel soils in Kurtatsch and loamy sandy soils in Völser Aicha. Rich flavours of elderflower, gooseberry, green pepper, sage and mint. An elegant wine, pleasantly mineral, fresh and juicy with well-balanced acidity. SUPERIORE.DE

Gewürztraminer does not bear its name for nothing – it is one of the autochthonous South Tyrolean grape varieties and finds ideal conditions at the Ebnerhof on calcareous, loamy sandy soils. The vines thrive on the eastern slopes at an altitude of 500 to 550 metres, where Mediterranean influences from the Bolzano basin meet Alpine freshness. After gentle pressing, the Unterthiner family gives the wine six months to mature on the fine lees in stainless steel tanks.

Some wines have a history. This one has a founding history. The Terlaner Cuvée (formerly Classico) was already there in 1893, when 24 winegrowers founded a cooperative in the small village of Terlan – with the conviction that more is possible together than alone. Over 130 years later, this idea remains unchanged, as does the wine. 60 per cent Pinot Bianco, 30 per cent Chardonnay, 10 per cent Sauvignon Blanc – the three great white Terlans in an assemblage that cellar master Rudi Kofler describes as compositional logic: Pinot Bianco provides freshness and acid structure, Chardonnay the ripe warmth and fullness, Sauvignon Blanc the fine aromatic play. Not a product of chance, but a wine with architecture. The grapes grow at 280 to 700 metres above sea level, on the characteristic quartz porphyry of Terlan – volcanic primary rock, which gives the wines their salty minerality and exceptional longevity.

La Rosé de Manincor is produced using the classic saignée method – as a juice extraction from the estate's best red wine batches. The grapes come from the Manincor, Seehof, Panholzerhof and Mazzon vineyards between 250 and 500 metres above sea level. Strong clay soils, interspersed with limestone gravel and glacial rock deposits, characterise the wines. The composition of the cuvée changes slightly from year to year – in 2024, it consists of 35% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 14% Pinot Nero, 6% Syrah, 6% Tempranillo, 5% Lagrein and 4% Petit Verdot. After six to twelve hours of maceration, the must is drawn off – this is the part that makes the red wines more concentrated and gives the rosé its colour, structure and aromatic richness. Fermentation takes place in wooden barrels, partly spontaneously with wild yeasts. The wine then matures for five months on the fine lees, where the aromas are refined and the creamy texture that characterises La Rosé develops.

Marjun presents itself in a ruby to garnet red colour and develops a harmonious aroma of wild berries, plums and cherries in the glass, underpinned by a spicy herbal note. This fruity and juicy Pinot Noir, which impresses with its delicate structure and soft tannins, is cool and firm on the palate. The profile of the Marjun is rounded off by a refreshing acidity, which is indicative of the high altitudes of its vineyards. On the finish, this elegant Pinot Noir impresses with its juicy fruitiness and lingering flavour. SUPERIORE.DE

The Lageder family has only been cultivating Lagrein on the geologically fascinating Margreider Schuttkegel for around ten years – thus opening up a completely new terroir for this indigenous grape variety. Conus, Latin for cone, refers to this unusual formation of dolomite limestone and gravelly sand between 230 and 320 metres. The biodynamic Demeter cultivation of the site promotes vines of particular stability and depth. After spontaneous fermentation, the Lagrein matures for twelve months, partly in stainless steel and partly in small wooden barrels.

The Turmhof selection is named after the historic "Castel Turmhof" estate, which is also the company's headquarters. The grapes come from several selected hillside vineyards up to 900 metres above sea level. They remain on the lees for several months, are partly matured in wooden barrels and brought to maturity, whereby particular attention is paid to the sensory complexity of the respective grape variety as well as structure and elegance.

The grapes for this Pinot Noir come from three vineyards at an altitude of up to 980 metres. Different soils of moraine deposits, limestone gravel and sand give this ruby-red wine its unmistakable character. Blackberries, raspberries and cherries on the nose. On the palate, it impresses with power and finesse, its harmony and elegance delighting us right through to the final. SUPERIORE.DE

Pale straw yellow with a sparkling lustre. Noble nuances of flint on the nose, mineral with beautiful citrus, grapefruit and gooseberry notes. Subtly creamy and taut on the palate, with beautiful precision and juiciness, the racy, long final is pleasantly fresh and slightly salty. SUPERIORE.DE

Gewürztraminer is not a modest grape variety. He enters the room – and everyone turns round. The question is not whether it stands out, but whether there is substance behind the flavour. In the case of Lyra from Nals Margreid, the answer is yes. The vineyards are located in the South Tyrolean lowlands, facing south-east, between 350 and 550 metres at the foot of the Roen mountain range. The soil of broodingloamy gravel on limestone gives the wine its texture, while the afternoon Ora from Lake Garda ensures freshness and healthy harvest. Cellar master Harald Schraffl vinifies single-varietal wines in steel tanks, fermenting for three weeks at a cool temperature and maturing for seven months on the fine lees.

Dry warmth during the day and refreshing coolness at night - ideal conditions for a Gewürztraminer that is leaner and fresher at Weingut Falkenstein than is otherwise known from South Tyrol. Bright yellow. On the nose, ripe but never exuberant aromas of dried fruits, honey, a little scent of roses. Medium-bodied on the palate and extremely drinkable due to its relatively low residual sweetness. The long fermentation on the natural yeasts ensures a balanced and lean appearance here. SUPERIORE.DE

Lagrein is one of the autochthonous grape varieties of South Tyrol and finds its ideal conditions at Franz Haas in sunny locations between 220 and 250 metres above sea level. Here, significantly lower than the white wine sites, the late-ripening variety benefits from warm, broodingalluvial soils with a high gravel content. The south-south-west exposure guarantees optimal sunlight until the late harvest – this is crucial for the full phenolic ripeness of this demanding grape variety. After careful manual harvesting, the grapes are carefully destemmed and fermented in open stainless steel tanks. The grape skins are gently and not too frequently submerged so as not to risk excessive tannin extraction. After alcoholic fermentation, the wine matures for 10 to 12 months in tonneau, where malolactic fermentation also takes place. A few months of bottle ageing round off the development before the Lagrein is released onto the market.

Riesling needs altitude. Not always, but in South Tyrol it does – and the Pitzon gets it: 500 to 750 metres above Nals, on the right bank of the Adige, where the temperatures drop noticeably at night and the vine is allowed to retain its acidity. This is also where the decisive tension of this wine lies: Mediterranean warmth during the day, Alpine freshness at night. The Riesling captures both. The soils of porphyry and limestone – volcanic primary rock meets marine limestone – give the wine its mineral undertone. East-south-east orientation, hand-picked, three weeks of fermentation at cool temperatures in steel tanks, seven months of maturation on the fine lees. Cellar master Schraffl keeps a low profile – the wine itself says what it has to say.

Alongside Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt is the second Austrian rarity at Ebnerhof – and is as rare as it is prized in South Tyrol. The cross between St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch, bred in Austria in 1922, feels amazingly at home in the very sheltered south-east-facing vineyards near Atzwang. On sandy-loamy, calcareous and porphyry soil at an altitude of 500 metres – with a remarkable 55 per cent slope – the Unterthiner family works with consistent yield regulation in Guyot training in order to obtain concentrated grape material. After fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and then matures in small oak barrels, which gives it structure and depth.

In Campo Rotaliano, this geological treasure chest between the peaks of the Dolomites, Elisabetta Foradori has been rewriting Teroldego history for four decades. What began as a family wine in 1960 is now the epitome of autochthonous excellence. The grapes come from twelve hand-picked plots on nine hectares, with their roots in alluvial sand and dolomite limestone. Fifteen different Teroldego biotypes, developed through years of mass selection, reflect the diversity of this unique terroir. Biodynamic Demeter cultivation since 2002 allows the indigenous grape variety to develop its original identity. Spontaneous fermentation in cement tanks, partly with whole grapes, preserves the lively fruitiness. Twelve months of ageing in a combination of cement and oak give the wine structure without dominance.

The Oberkofler family has been running the ancient Bachmannhof farm since 1853 and Pinot Nero has found its second home in South Tyrol for over a century – nowhere is this rootedness more evident than at the Bachmann from the steep vineyards around Bolzano. Between 600 and 700 metres above sea level, the vines thrive on mineral-rich soils, where cool nights and sunny days create the finesse that combines Burgundian elegance with Alpine clarity.

The Lageder family now only makes one Sauvignon Bianco, and it belongs to the "Compositions" line. It gets its complexity from the wide variety of different clones in the vineyards. The majority of these are situated at an altitude of over 400 metres and are based on limestone soil on the one hand and volcanic weathered rock on the other. The different source rocks and the variety of vines led the Lageders to name the wine. This is because it consists of fragments from the best organic and biodynamic vineyards, which are married to form a whole. Its salinity and crisp freshness are highly drinkable and make this fresh and sublime South Tyrolean Sauvignon Blanc a very special experience. SUPERIORE.DE

Verso l'alto – upwards. The name reveals the philosophy behind this Pinot Bianco, which is the result of the tension between two fundamentally different worlds. On the one hand, the Bassa Atesina near Salorno and Magrè: calcareous soils, Mediterranean warmth, vines on both banks of the Adige. On the other, Dorf Tirol near Meran: volcanic rock, alpine climate, a completely different energy. Alois Clemens Lageder, sixth generation at Tòr Löwengang, calls such wines "compositions" – deliberate arrangements of contrasts that only develop their full tension when they interact.

Merlot in South Tyrol – this may sound like a misunderstanding, but it is one of the most convincing arguments in favour of the versatility of the southern lowlands. Margreid, the southernmost corner of the winery, supplies the white wine grapes to Gennen and Magred. The same soil, the same climate, the same ora – is used by Levad for something completely different. White limestone gravel soil with a high humus content, 220 to 350 metres, south-east exposure. Warm summers, mild winters, the daily afternoon wind from Lake Garda. Conditions that allow Merlot to fully ripen without suffocating it in opulence. Hand-picked, careful destemming, fermentation in steel tanks with gentle pumping over – then twelve months in barriques and a further year of bottle ageing. The ageing gives structure, the soil gives minerality, the climate gives depth.

Delicately shimmering ruby red colour. Ripe plums, red cherries, lemon peel, dried flowers and earth on the nose. Medium-bodied with fine tannins and bright acidity. Darker fruits, spices and minerals come into play on the flavourful finish. Very floral and pretty on the nose with sliced strawberries and citrus. Medium body, very fine tannins and a fresh, supple finish. SUPERIORE.DE