Tenuta Ebner

The oldest red wine variety in South Tyrol finds ideal conditions at the Ebnerhof in a wind-protected, warm south-east location. On the terraced vineyards, which the Unterthiner family has been cultivating for generations, Vernatsch thrives on Pergel vines that are up to 18 years old – the traditional form of cultivation that is part of the South Tyrolean landscape. After gentle processing, the wine ferments in stainless steel tanks before maturing in large wooden barrels – just the right balance between freshness and structure.

At the Ebnerhof farm in Atzwang, the Unterthiner family works on sandy marl at an altitude of 500 to 550 metres. The eastern slopes benefit from warm winds from the Bolzano valley basin, while cool downdraughts provide freshness at night – ideal conditions for a Pinot Blanc with substance. After temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine matures on the fine lees, part of it in acacia wood barrels, which gives it additional depth.

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.

The French grape variety has felt at home in the southern Eisack Valley since the end of the 19th century. At the Ebnerhof, Sauvignon grows on barren, stone-rich gravel and marl soil – it is precisely this sparseness that makes the difference. The Unterthiner family works with consistent yield regulation, manual defoliation and thinning out in order to obtain concentrated grape material. In the cellar, they rely on temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks to preserve the freshness typical of the variety.

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.

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.

The only thing that has changed is the name. The Unterthiner family has always made their Pinot Noir the way a serious Pinot Noir should be made – with the necessary time in the cellar. The wine matures for at least twelve months in small wooden barrels, often longer, because at the Ebnerhof they never decide according to the calendar, but according to taste. This ageing period corresponds to the DOC specifications for a Riserva, so the wine now bears this designation. Nothing has changed in the approach: After selective hand-picking from the chalky, sandy southern vineyards, the wine undergoes controlled mash fermentation in stainless steel tanks before the small wooden barrels give it depth and complexity.