Wines from South Tyrol and Trentino

With the Pinot Nero Riserva Vigna Das Langefeld, the Pfitscher family has undoubtedly created an elegant top wine that perfectly reflects the identity of the terroir.

Pinot Noir at high altitudes in the Alps – a risk that few are willing to take and even fewer manage to master. Markus Prackwieser is one of those rare winemakers who infuses the Burgundian character of this capricious grape variety with South Tyrolean mountain zest. His Renaissance Pinot Nero Riserva is more than just a wine – it is the interplay of soil, microclimate and winemaker, manifested in liquid form. And as with all Renaissance wines, the rule applies: only in exceptional years, when the terroir reveals its greatest character, does this wine, after prolonged ageing in barriques, convince with its very own identity. The grapes come from the highest plots of the Gump Hof, where Pinot Noir grows at altitudes of 500 to 550 metres on calcareous moraines over quartz porphyry. Vinification follows Burgundian principles with Alpine rigour: a week of cold maceration, followed by two weeks of fermentation and contact with the must in stainless-steel tanks – with 40 per cent whole-bunch fermentation – that demanding technique which brings out floral notes, spice and silky tannins. This is followed by eighteen months in barriques, half of which are new, with malolactic fermentation. After blending, the wines mature for a further five months in large wooden casks, before at least one year of bottle ageing completes their development.

The vineyards of the Löwengang estate in Margreid have been owned by the Lageder family since 1934. Here, on the rubble cone of ancient dolomite rock below steep cliffs, grape varieties such as Carménère and Cabernet find ideal conditions in the mild climate of the valley.

Sauvignon Bianco Rachtl comes from a small micro-location of just 0.4 hectares. It gets its fine flint and graphite nose from the porphyry soils near Unteraicha in the municipality of Völs. Very subtle on the palate with fine saline acidity, fresh fruit and a long-lasting finish. If you can call one of the 2,000 bottles of this vintage your own, you can count yourself lucky! SUPERIORE.DE

Troy – in the language of the South Tyroleans' ancestors, it means "path", the path that Cantina Tramin has followed over decades to create one of Italy's most exceptional Chardonnays. A path of exploration, experimentation and patience. For complex Chardonnays from high-altitude Alpine vineyards are a rarity – and that is precisely where the appeal lies, and where the challenge begins. At an altitude of 500 to 550 metres, where the Mediterranean heat of the day and cold downslope winds from the mountains clash in stark contrast, 25-year-old Chardonnay vines take root in calcareous gravel and loam over porphyry. South-east-facing slopes, Guyot and pergola training systems, just 38 hectolitres per hectare – every berry is inspected individually during the hand-harvest in October. This is followed by whole-bunch pressing: the grapes are gently pressed together with their stems and stalks, an archaic method that imparts structure and depth. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation take place in French barriques. The wine rests on its fine lees in the wood for eleven months before being transferred to small stainless-steel tanks, where it spends a further 22 months on the lees – a total of 33 months' ageing, before four months' bottle ageing completes the process.

Terlano I (pronounced Primo) Grande Cuvée is the name of the white flagship of Cantina Terlano. In recent years, the winery has made a name for itself worldwide with its long-lasting, mineral white wines. Even years later, the wines still present themselves with top freshness and great complexity. With this long history of white wines, since the 2011 vintage there is now a wine in which the essence of Terlan is expressed in an even more focussed way. Terlaner I Grande Cuvée combines the Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon grape varieties from the Winkl, Kreuth and Vorberg vineyards to create a masterpiece which, due to its limited and exclusive nature, will only be available from hand-picked retailers and in selected top restaurants.

Cellar master Rudi Kofler once put it this way: he was searching for a wine that embodied the very essence and authentic character of the Cantina Terlan. A wine that embodies the greatness of the finest vines and vineyard sites. The result is the Terlan I Grande Cuvée – since 1893 the quiet flagship of a cooperative that has proven that depth and time are not a matter of ownership. Terlan lies in the Adige Valley, sheltered in the shadow of the Tschöggelberg, on the southern foothills of the Alps. What distinguishes the soil beneath the vines from all other soils in South Tyrol is a geological phenomenon: beneath Terlan lies a subvolcanic rock formation whose composition differs fundamentally from that of classic volcanic rock. Over millions of years, a unique crystalline conglomerate formed within it – an unusually high concentration of minerals that the soil passes on to the roots. No calcium carbonate, a slightly acidic pH, sandy porphyry weathered soils: "stress minerality" as the principle, salinity as the result.

Terlano I (pronounced Primo) Grande Cuvée is the name of the white flagship of Cantina Terlano. In recent years, the winery has made a name for itself worldwide with its long-lasting, mineral white wines. Even years later, the wines still present themselves with top freshness and great complexity. With this long history of white wines, since the 2011 vintage there is now a wine in which the essence of Terlan is expressed in an even more focussed way. Terlaner I Grande Cuvée combines the Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon grape varieties from the Winkl, Kreuth and Vorberg vineyards to create a masterpiece which, due to its limited and exclusive nature, will only be available from hand-picked retailers and in selected top restaurants.

San Leonardo is the flagship wine of the winery of the same name and, year after year, one of the finest red wines in northern Italy. It boasts an opulent bouquet with hints of dark fruits such as blackberry and sour cherry. Delicate hints of spice, leather and tobacco lend it a terrific complexity, which is then enhanced on the palate by a harmonious interplay of dark berries and plums, all flanked by clearly defined tannins. A masterful, characterful red that, after a few more years of bottle ageing, reaches its true greatness and lives up to its reputation. SUPERIORE.DE

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

Terlano I (pronounced Primo) Grande Cuvée is the name of the white flagship of Cantina Terlano. In recent years, the winery has made a name for itself worldwide with its long-lasting, mineral white wines. Even years later, the wines still present themselves with top freshness and great complexity. With this long history of white wines, since the 2011 vintage there is now a wine in which the essence of Terlan is expressed in an even more focussed way. Terlaner I Grande Cuvée combines the Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon grape varieties from the Winkl, Kreuth and Vorberg vineyards to create a masterpiece which, due to its limited and exclusive nature, will only be available from hand-picked retailers and in selected top restaurants.

Cellar master Rudi Kofler once put it this way: he was searching for a wine that embodied the very essence and authentic character of the Cantina Terlan. A wine that embodies the greatness of the finest vines and vineyard sites. The result is the Terlan I Grande Cuvée – since 1893 the quiet flagship of a cooperative that has proven that depth and time are not a matter of ownership. Terlan lies in the Adige Valley, sheltered in the shadow of the Tschöggelberg, on the southern foothills of the Alps. What distinguishes the soil beneath the vines from all other soils in South Tyrol is a geological phenomenon: beneath Terlan lies a subvolcanic rock formation whose composition differs fundamentally from that of classic volcanic rock. Over millions of years, a unique crystalline conglomerate formed within it – an unusually high concentration of minerals that the soil passes on to the roots. No calcium carbonate, a slightly acidic pH, sandy porphyry weathered soils: "stress minerality" as the principle, salinity as the result.

Terlano I (pronounced Primo) Grande Cuvée is the name of the white flagship of Cantina Terlano. In recent years, the winery has made a name for itself worldwide with its long-lasting, mineral white wines. Even years later, the wines still present themselves with top freshness and great complexity. With this long history of white wines, since the 2011 vintage there is now a wine in which the essence of Terlan is expressed in an even more focussed way. Terlaner I Grande Cuvée combines the Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon grape varieties from the Winkl, Kreuth and Vorberg vineyards to create a masterpiece which, due to its limited and exclusive nature, will only be available from hand-picked retailers and in selected top restaurants.

Terlano I (pronounced Primo) Grande Cuvée is the name of the white flagship of Cantina Terlano. In recent years, the winery has made a name for itself worldwide with its long-lasting, mineral white wines. Even years later, the wines still present themselves with top freshness and great complexity. With this long history of white wines, since the 2011 vintage there is now a wine in which the essence of Terlan is expressed in an even more focussed way. Terlaner I Grande Cuvée combines the Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon grape varieties from the Winkl, Kreuth and Vorberg vineyards to create a masterpiece which, due to its limited and exclusive nature, will only be available from hand-picked retailers and in selected top restaurants.

Cellar master Rudi Kofler once put it this way: he was searching for a wine that embodied the very essence and authentic character of the Cantina Terlan. A wine that embodies the greatness of the finest vines and vineyard sites. The result is the Terlan I Grande Cuvée – since 1893 the quiet flagship of a cooperative that has proven that depth and time are not a matter of ownership. Terlan lies in the Adige Valley, sheltered in the shadow of the Tschöggelberg, on the southern foothills of the Alps. What distinguishes the soil beneath the vines from all other soils in South Tyrol is a geological phenomenon: beneath Terlan lies a subvolcanic rock formation whose composition differs fundamentally from that of classic volcanic rock. Over millions of years, a unique crystalline conglomerate formed within it – an unusually high concentration of minerals that the soil passes on to the roots. No calcium carbonate, a slightly acidic pH, sandy porphyry weathered soils: "stress minerality" as the principle, salinity as the result.

Rare vertical in a high-quality 6-pack wooden crate: Exclusive and strictly limited selection of the historic 2011 to 2016 vintages of one of Italy's most famous white wines.