Cantina Tramin

One of the rarest creations of Alpine viticulture thrives in the sheltered locations between 250 and 350 metres above sea level, where the Tridentine mountains clasp precious vineyards like protective hands. The name Loam (loam) tells the story of soils that guard their heat storage capacity like a secret and give French Bordeaux grape varieties the full ripeness that seems impossible in the Alpine region. The grapes for this cuvée come from a terroir that creates a microclimate of magical intensity between the Mediterranean sun and cool mountain winds. The southeast-facing vineyards catch the first rays of the morning sun, while the cold downdraughts of the nights create the concentration of flavours that can produce great wines. After manual harvest at the end of October, the journey through time and wood begins: twelve months of ageing in French barriques, a further six in large wooden barrels, followed by at least six months of bottle ageing.

Troy is no ordinary Chardonnay. Rather, it is the archetype of a Chardonnay, as Wolfgang Klotz, managing director of what is probably the most successful winegrowers' cooperative in South Tyrol, sees it. The grapes come from two selected vineyards in Söll, near Tramin. The climate there is not only Mediterranean, but the vegetation is also characterised by rather cold downdraughts at night. Both factors guarantee optimal development of the plants and fruit. The berries are hand-picked one by one, so it is clear to any wine connoisseur that this is an absolutely prestigious project for the co-operative. It is therefore not surprising that only 3,000 bottles of this grape variety are sold in selected specialist shops and top restaurants.

Troy – in the language of the South Tyrolean ancestors it means "path", the path that Cantina Tramin has travelled for decades to create one of the most extraordinary Chardonnays in Italy. A path of research, experimentation and patience. Because complex Chardonnays from Alpine altitudes are a rarity – that's where the appeal lies, that's where the challenge begins. At an altitude of 500 to 550 metres, where Mediterranean daytime heat and cold downdraughts from the mountains meet in extreme contrast, 25-year-old Chardonnay vines are rooted in calcareous gravel and clay over porphyry. South-east exposure, Guyot and pergola training, only 38 hectolitres per hectare – each berry is individually inspected during the hand harvest in October. This is followed by whole bunch pressing: the grapes are gently pressed together with stems and stalks, an archaic process that lends structure and depth. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation take place in French barriques. The wine rests for eleven months on the fine lees in wood before being transferred to small stainless steel tanks, where it spends a further 22 months on the lees – the wine is matured for a total of 33 months before being bottled for four months.

Troy is no ordinary Chardonnay. Rather, it is the archetype of a Chardonnay, as Wolfgang Klotz, managing director of probably the most successful winegrowers' cooperative in South Tyrol, sees it. The grapes come from two selected vineyards in Söll, near Tramin. Not only does a Mediterranean climate prevail there, but also quite cold fall winds at night determine the vegetation. Both factors ensure optimal development of the plants and fruits. The berries are handpicked piece by piece and it is therefore clear to every wine connoisseur that this is an absolutely prestigious project of the cooperative. It is therefore not surprising that only 3,000 bottles of this vintage are sold in selected specialist shops and top restaurants.

Troy is no ordinary Chardonnay. Rather, it is the archetype of a Chardonnay, as Wolfgang Klotz, managing director of what is probably the most successful winegrowers' cooperative in South Tyrol, sees it. The grapes come from two selected vineyards in Söll, near Tramin. The climate there is not only Mediterranean, but the vegetation is also characterised by rather cold downdraughts at night. Both factors guarantee optimal development of the plants and fruit. The berries are hand-picked one by one, so it is clear to any wine connoisseur that this is an absolutely prestigious project for the co-operative. It is therefore not surprising that only 3,000 bottles of this grape variety are sold in selected specialist shops and top restaurants.

The name says it all. This wine is a reminiscence of a bygone era. It is a Gewürztraminer vinified in a traditional style with clearly perceptible residual sugar. The grapes come from two of the oldest Gewürztraminer sites near the Nußbaumerhof in Tramin from soils with calcareous gravel and porphyry rock.

Four kilometres deep inside the mountain, 450 metres below the surface, in absolute darkness: here, in the disused silver mine of Ridanna Monteneve at an altitude of over 2,000 metres, a silent metamorphosis is taking place. For seven years, 2,150 bottles of Epokale rest at a constant 11 degrees and 90 per cent humidity – an ageing process that pays homage to a bygone era when sweet Gewürztraminer late harvests were still the kings of Alpine wine culture. The name says it all: Epokale – epochal. The 2009 vintage made history as the first Italian white wine to be awarded 100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. What Willi Stürz, cellar master and technical director of Cantina Tramin for 35 years, has empirically observed over decades was recently confirmed by a scientific study by the Fondazione Mach: Gewürztraminer is one of the few white wines in the world that not only preserves itself, but also potentiates and refines itself over twenty years. Monoterpenes – the flavouring substances that produce roses, nutmeg, mango and lychee – are slowly released over the years in enzymatic processes that give the wine ever new facets.

The name says it all. This wine is a reminiscence of a bygone era. It is a Gewürztraminer vinified in the traditional style with clearly perceptible residual sugar. The grapes come from two of the oldest Gewürztraminer vineyards near the Nußbaumerhof in Tramin from soils with calcareous gravel and porphyry rock.