Alle Weinkellereien an der Südtiroler Weinstraße

The Klosterhof in Caldaro is an estate winery, wine hotel, and small distillery all at the same time. So Oskar Andergassen and his son Hannes exhaust all of the possibilities of what can be done with grapes. And what is just as big is the care with which they look after their raw materials.

For the Andergassens, care means first and foremost respect for nature. And (above all else) in the vineyards that encompass 4.5 hectares, that means to deal with them gently. That also involves low yields which, as a pleasant aftereffect, also drives up the quality of the grapes.
The Klosterhof Estate Winery also continues respect and sustainability in the winery, in which only grapes from their own vineyards are used, where gently means, “We follow the philosophy of a soft pressing and allow the wine a lot of time to mature in large wooden barrels,” explains the son, Hannes Andergassen.

The results of the care and prudence in the Klosterhof Estate Winery are 35,000 bottles per year of DOC quality wines – primarily Schiava, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Since 2013, the Andergassens have also been making distilled spirits in their own distillery from the pressings of Pinot Noir and Yellow Muscat, but also from apricots and Williams pears.

The entire palette of what can be made from grapes can best be experienced by a visit to the winery. In so doing, not only do visitors get insight into the method of operation at the Klosterhof, they can also taste the terroir in and around Caldaro and also understand the great passion that the Andergassens have.

For three generations, the Andergassen family has been making wine in the wine cellar of the Steflhof estate in Caldaro, and two of them are still at the helm even today: the senior with a watchful eye on tradition, and the junior with one on innovation. But it doesn’t matter whether it is father or son: the credo at the Steflhof is that a vintage already has its beginning in the vineyard. “That is where the bouquet and the individuality of the wine are decided,” explains Georg Andergassen.

So it is certainly no wonder how much value the Andergassens place upon the leaf trimming, but above all else on a strict reduction of harvest quantities and the correct harvest time. “Hitting these is a challenge every year,” says Georg. And this challenge is only to be met with a great deal of knowledge and experience, just as a great deal of experience and knowledge about the taste of the customers is needed in order to find the right time for pumping, blending, and bottling.

The fact that the Andergassens have the right knack for this is proven by their wines, first and foremost a fruity Chardonnay, a Lake Caldaro superiore with fine tones of almond, and a full-bodied Merlot that is aged in oak barrels. Anyone wishing to be convinced of the constantly high quality of the wines at the Steflhof would do best with a winery tour. And that concludes traditionally – how could it be any different? – with a tasting.

Agriculture, and winegrowing in particular, has always played an important role since time immemorial for the Bertol family. And the work continues with great enthusiasm and diligence.

The Spiegelhof Estate Winery is located directly on Lake Caldaro and is among the best locations in Caldaro. In recent years, the operation has grown continuously and has now come to comprise somewhat more than five hectares.

Earlier on, the Schiava (Vernatsch) variety was grown almost exclusively, from which the Lago di Caldaro denomination is obtained. Today, it is the varieties Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Yellow Muscat, Lagrein, Merlot, and Cabernet that dominate. And the training method has also changed: before, the vines were grown on pergola trellises, but now it is almost exclusively the Guyot trellis that is used. “This has had a positive influence on grape quality, and work can be made easier through the increasing use of machines,” says the winegrower Reinhild Bertol.

The wine itself is made with great care in the Spiegelhof, which is located right in the midst of the vineyards on the path around the lake. Anyone who strolls by the Spiegelhof will not have a hard time recognizing the families passion: the collecting of vintage tractors. Gerold Bertol, the master of the house, began this hobby more than thirty years ago. At the current time, the collection numbers over a hundred models – and there is no end in sight.

The heart of the Spiegelhof Estate Winery is “Reinhild’s Farm Shop”. The idyllic wine shop is located right on the lake and is surrounded by the winery’s own vineyards. It is the perfect location for tasting the excellent estate wines.

We - Ingrid and Arthur Rainer - have gone the indirect way, looked around and permanently learned. As a consequence, we want to go an open, modern and future-oriented way. In 2013 a new milestone was set. For the first time all the grapes of the family-owned vineyards were vinified in our cellars.

Only few wineries can look back on seven hundred years of tradition. But the Josef Brigl Winery in Appiano can. Founded in the early fourteenth century and with four farmhouses and 50 hectares of cultivation area, it is among the largest private wineries in Alto Adige. And among the leaders.

Year founded: 1309. Just that figure alone gives rise to a tremendous amount of respect for the operation. “The name Brigl is doubtlessly characterized by seven hundred years of winemaking culture,” says winemaker Alberto Fortarel. “But our credo continues to remain: investing in the future.” Translated into practice, that means that the grapes are grown traditionally, strictly inspected during the harvest, and then gently made into wine with the most modern of vinification techniques.

“Our goal is that the uniqueness of the grape is shown to its full advantage in the glass,” Fortarel describes. The gentle processing is one step in that direction, and the purposeful vinification – in either stainless steel tanks or old or new wooden barrels, depending on the wine – is a second. Because the extensive grape growing areas offer the ideal locations for a broad palette of grape varieties, the product line of the Josef Brigl Winery is also an extensive one. It comprises all of the usual Alto Adige varieties, but the main attention is on the three classics: Lago Caldaro, Schiava, and Santa Maddalena.

Seven hundred years of history do in fact provide for a deep rooting in tradition – both their own and that of Alto Adige winegrowing in general.

Winegrowing in Appiano has no fewer than two thousand years of tradition. Two thousand years in which winegrowers of all eras have made use of the ideal location, the mild climate, and the fertile soils on the ridge near the Passo Mendola for growing grapes and making wine from them.

It is not surprising that such a lengthy tradition is anchored in the winegrowing operations and winegrower families. And at the Weinberghof, the Romen family does not constitute an exception. It is in the district of Appiano-Monte in which history and tradition become especially tangible, as there is a density here of manors, castles, and fortresses that knows no equal.

The Weinberghof in its typical Oltradige style joins in this tradition. The view from the terrace looks out on the surrounding countryside and the numerous vineyards – including those of the Romen family. “We make use of the ideal location here with numerous hours of sunshine that is especially beneficial to the maturing of the grapes,” explains Alois Romen. “And during the night, katabatic winds provide cooler temperatures. These substantial temperature differentials between day and night are responsible for the prominent aroma of our wines.”
But wine enthusiasts can convince themselves of this, and specifically right at the Weinberghof. Their own wines can be tasted here properly – in the winery which, with its old stone arches, is reminiscent of olden days. As one learns, tradition extends into the details.

Andreas Dichristin has a dream. He wants to consistently make wine from completely untreated grapes, and thus he even does without organic pesticides. He has reserved a section of his organic estate winery Tröpfltalhof in Caldaro for the trials. And planned for lots and lots of patience.

For someone who has dedicated his life to winegrowing and winemaking, Dichristin incidentally admits to having a really marginal role in all of it. “For thirty years, I have been accompanying the grapes on their path from the vineyard into the bottle,” he says, “and today I know that our work for the most part consists of observing.”

The secret of his work is to remain very close to nature with everything that he does and to recognize the right timing for everything. For that reason, since 2005, Andreas, his wife Rosmarie, and their children Verena and Jakob have been running the Tröpfltalhof in Caldaro biodynamically – and, it goes without saying, the vineyards, as well. In their own nearby vineyard at an elevation of 500 meters, Sauvignon Blanc vines grow, while in the Barleith vineyard above Lake Caldaro, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are planted.

The fact that the wines of the Tröpfltalhof are aged in amphorae emphasizes once again the very independent path that the Dichristins follow. Andreas describes it as “Remaining true to minimalism from the vines to the bottle”, and adds, “I believe that it is precisely that which gives my wines greatness and originality.”

Three generations of vintners – With a passion for wine-making

We are down to earth, but also innovative. We have great respect for Nature, and cultivate grapes only at the appropriate locations. That describes, in a nutshell, the philosophy of the Niklas winery. We view our family heritage as a responsibility to shape and maintain a South Tyrolean wine-growing estate like no other. It embodies the know-how and motivation of three generations of vintners, and is a place where outstanding South Tyrolean red wines typical for their location are created. In the meantime, Dieter Sölva guides the estate’s continued development. Dieter learned the business from his father, Josef, the founder of the Niklas winery, whom he succeeded. Dieter’s son Michael is already adding his unique handwriting to the family business – whose wines are now being marketed throughout the world.

Lorenz San Nicolò was actually successful as an entrepreneur in Milan. But because his passion from wine never left him, since 2012, along with his wife Sissi, he has been running the Corahof in San Paolo – “as a politically motivated criminal” as he himself says.

And yet, the San Nicolò family did not leave the urbane completely behind them. Thus the main room of their small winery is dominated by a sparkling Art Nouveau chandelier that originated from what was left behind from the venerable Hotel Bristol in Merano and is completely out of place with the rest of the furnishings, machinery, and tractors. “The chandelier is a symbol for our love of elegance, to what is festive and exhilarating in life,” San Nicolò explains. And it is also for that reason that the chandelier was chosen as the logo for the Corahof in San Paolo.

So it decorates the labels of the wines, that basis of which is half a hectare of grape growing areas. And their basis, in turn, is formed by very particular Ice Age sediments. “‘Battle soil’ is what we call it in our dialect,” says the winegrower. “Hard and difficult to work, but fertile. And with the southeastern exposure of our vineyard and the intense sunshine in the early morning hours, they form the ideal conditions for our wine.”

The wine from Corahof is made in their own winery, where the harvest of Merlot and Yellow Muscat is processed cleanly and gently thanks to the most modern technology. Moreover, the minimalist approach of the San Nicolòs is also applied to the vinification, since, “Only in that way can we bring the precious aromas of the grapes into the bottle in as unadulterated manner as possible.”

From Karl to Josef to Johannes: for a good forty years now, the baton of wine production has been passed on at the Bergmannhof. From father to son to grandson, from Pichler to Pichler. But the Pichler’s relay race with grapegrowing is substantially longer than that. It dates back to the year 1851 in which the family came into possession of the Bergmannhof.

As early as the seventeenth century, the Bergmannhof in Riva di Sotto-Appiano appeared for the first time in documents, and for nearly 170 years, the Pichler family has been operating it. But only in 1978 did Karl Pichler and his son Josef decide to go their own way and make wine themselves out of the grapes from their 2.5 hectares of vineyards. From the very beginning onward, great value was placed upon careful, prudent dealings with the vineyard and the vines, which also meant upon a lot of work by hand. “We try to work as close to nature as possible through the smallest targeted interventions,” Josef Pichler explains, “and thus to get the best from our grapes vintage after vintage.” Within that context, it comes in useful for Pichler that within that work, tradition and innovation flow together – in the form of knowledge from three generations.

Both of those ensure that the care and prudence continue, in the winery as well. “The maturation of our wines takes place for the most part in large wooden barrels with long periods of contact with the yeast and minimal use of sulfur, and we do without unnecessary fining and filtration,” Pichler says, describing the signature at the Bergmannhof. It is the signature of three generations.

In 1820, the Josef Weger Eppan Winery was founded in Cornaiano-Appiano. The founder’s name was, as may be expected, Josef Weger. Let’s call him Josef Weger I, because after him, three more gentlemen with the same name have stood at the head of the estate winery. Today, the Josef Weger Estate Winery in Cornaiano is run by the great-grandson of the founder. Can you guess what his name is? Wrong! His name is Johannes.

Josef Weger I was one of the pioneers of a professional winemaking and wine dealing operation in Alto Adige, and his descendants have successfully followed in the footsteps of the old gentleman. Even before the turn of the twentieth century, wine was delivered to Switzerland and all of the crownlands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and before the First World War, a branch was even founded in East Tyrol. After the two wars, the growth of the estate winery continued, and vacation apartments were set up in the twelfth century manor house.

Johannes Weger has been active in the estate winery since the 1990s and has run it since 2015. Under his leadership, the winery was renovated and new grape varieties were planted, above all else Burgundy varieties. They are ideal for the vineyards of the Josef Weger Estate Winery. They are located at elevations from 435 to 600 meters in and around Cornaiano and provide grapes for white and red wines which Weger makes as single varietals that emphasize terroir: with gentle pressing operations, temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, and cold maceration.

“In our wines, the interplay between landscape and climate should be reflected, as should the soul of the winegrower.” Weger says. And it is not surprising when he adds, “Our wines are the expression of years of experience that are transferred from generation to generation.” And from Josef Weger to Josef Weger. And to Johannes.

Mutual assistance: the idea of the cooperative had broad repercussions at the end of the nineteenth century and also caught up the winegrowers on Andriano. In 1893, they took a step that was as daring as it was far-sighted and founded the first cooperative winery in South Tyrol. Today, the winery works under the umbrella of the Cantina Terlano, and thus the cooperative idea is as lively as ever.

Even if the cooperative’s history is a long one, that of winegrowing in Andriano is even substantially longer. The Mediterranean climate, the refreshing katabatic winds, the well-aerated chalky soils: all of these are optimal conditions, and specifically equally for both red and white varieties. “On the gentle southern to southeastern slopes of Andriano, the late-maturing varieties enjoy a particularly high number of hours of sunshine, while on hot days, our white grapes on the slopes with a predominantly eastern exposure benefit from the coolness that is present early in the day,” explains winemaker Rudi Kofler.

From this starting position and building upon careful, prudent work in the vineyard, grapes that have been harvested exclusively by hand come to the cooperative’s winery. That is where the red wines – Lagrein, Merlot, and Pinot Noit – are aged in large oak barrels or small oak casks, while the whites (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Blanc) are aged in stainless steel tanks.

“Our goal is to create classic wines that are shaped by terroir, that are powerful yet elegant, well structured, and multilayered,” the winemaker says. Directed toward that goal are the efforts and work of all involved – completely in keeping with the idea of the cooperative.

Anyone who has been passionately active in the wine sector for a long time wants to put their own stamp on wines at some point. That may be at their own risk, but in fact also with their own signature. That is precisely what the Martini family has done, and it was now more than forty years ago that the K. Martini & Sohn Winery in Cornaiano was brought to life.

The K in K. Martini & Sohn stands for the father Karl Martini, who founded the winery in 1979 with his son Gabriel, and specifically in the middle of their own vineyards in the winegrowing village of Cornaiano, which belongs to the community of Appiano. At that time, both father and son had already made their careers in the sector, so they brought along the necessary know-how and the experience regarding wine that was essential for their success.
In spite of that, the step to being on their own was not an easy one: “Building up the winery was a hard piece of work,” Gabriel Martini recounts today. “We filled, sealed, and labeled the first bottles by hand.”

Because they were well aware of their size (or lack thereof), they understood themselves at K. Martini & Sohn from the very beginning to be a small but fine operation that focuses not only on comprehensive and friendly service, but also above all else on quality. “That alone justifies the existence of a small family operation,” says Martini.
In addition, it is built upon a palette of wines that is astonishingly large for a small operation which today comprises four lines and ranges from Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Noir to Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Schiava, and Lagrein all the way to Yellow Muscat and Red Muscat.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, when Franz Morandell built a farmhouse, he at the same time also immortalized his wife. Her name was Elisabeth, which in its loving nickname becomes “Lisele”. Today, the Lieselehof Estate Winery in Caldaro is an imposing estate in which the winegrowing knowledge of three generations meets together and where Werner Morandell has the say. He is the great-grandson of “Lisele”.

The fact that with this story, the Morandells inherited their passion for wine right from the cradle may sound like a platitude. Except that it is true. Werner’s grandfather was a winegrower, while his father Gottlieb-Amadeus attended to the grafting of young grapevines and produced rootstock for surrounding vineyard nurseries.

Werner Morandell also thoroughly devoted himself to winegrowing. He even wrote a book about it and along with his vineyard, he is a contractual partner of the Freiburg in Breisgau State Viticultural Institute in Germany. Within that context, the main attention lies with fungus-resistant varieties, on the organic cultivation of traditional grape varieties (such as Schiava and Cabernet), and on wines that are made in an ecologically friendly manner. “That means that during the vinification, only a few natural treatment agents are permitted, and we completely do without synthetic materials,” Morandell says.

The particular pride of the Morandells is wines that are made from exclusively fungus-resistant grapes for which no chemical herbicides are used in the vineyard and for which strict conditions are met for grape yields per vine. A separate brand name has even been developed for them: Green Mountain Wine.

Thomas Pichler knows wine in all of its facets and, in fact, in greater detail than most others. And that is not just because he comes from a family of Caldaro winegrowers and therefore himself grew up with wine cultivation. Rather, it is because he has worked for nearly three decades in different wine laboratories. But since wine under laboratory conditions obviously was not sufficient for him, he also now produces wine himself – at the Thomas Pichler Estate Winery in Caldaro.

The question that immediately comes to mind with such a career is: how does the know-how from the laboratory get transferred into practice? And the answer from Pichler is surprising: “With winemaking, I do not depend very much upon theory,” he says, “but rather with all of my decisions, I rely upon feeling, upon my nose and mouth.” In the end, it is not about bottling some trendy wine with all sorts of aids, but rather producing independent wines that are characteristic for the variety, area, and grower.
 The winegrower places correspondingly great value upon the selection of variety, whereby his heart lies above all else with indigenous grapes and classic wines.

Thus Lago di Caldaro and Lagrein make up nearly half of the production, followed by Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. And with sales, as well, Pichler follows the long-established routes. His wines are sold at the winery, at select wine bars, and to dining establishments.

The Seppi family has run the Oberpreyhof in Caldaro since 1885. So it’s no wonder that particular attention has been paid to tradition here. Or, as Markus Seppi puts it, to “maintaining the heritage of the forefathers to pass on to the next generation.”

For the Seppi family, those are more than just pretty words. Thus the vineyards in the Caldaro locations of Prey, Barleith, and Lavason are managed gently, there is a focus on undergrowth that is rich in species, and herbicides are avoided. “In the end, only a healthy, living soil brings forth healthy, resistant vines which, in turn, bear good grapes,” Seppi says.

The vines are supported in the classic pergola system, although not only as a nod to the predecessors at the estate, but also for practical considerations. Thus the Seppis consider the pergola trellis to be the optimal training method in the estate’s vineyards with a southern exposure. They distinguish themselves by hot days and cool nights which guarantee a regular maturation of the grapes and foster the development of extracts and aroma substances.

And in the end, an eye is also kept on tradition with the selection of the varieties, with the Seppi family greatly concentrating (and in fact even more and more) on indigenous varieties. Thus Lagrein and Schiava form the foundation of the Oberpreyhof in Caldaro. The latter is used for the classic Lago di Caldaro, and in addition to that, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Yellow Muscat are also found in the assortment. In addition, grappas that are produced at the estate can be tasted in the vaulted cellar from the fifteenth century.

Wines that are matured in a bunker and an air raid shelter, wines that are served at state banquets, wines that bear the seal of the Republic of San Marino: all of these are wines from the Korb Castle Winery in Appiano. It is first and foremost winegrower Fritz Dellago who puts his stamp on them with his creativity.

Along those lines, all of that begins in the vineyards of the castle winery, which encompass only four and a half hectares but also a broad selection of grape varieties: Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Schiava, Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, Lagrein, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Manseng. “I like the diversity, and I also don’t have a favorite grape variety,” Dellago says. “Each one has its own character, and I am fascinated by any successful wine.

So it’s no wonder, then, that the focus in the winery is on emphasizing the character of each wine that is typical for the variety. “Nothing should be faked, the wines should be genuine,” the winegrower says. As down-to-earth as the philosophy is, that’s how creative the methods are. Dellago matures his wines in a former bunker and makes use of an old air raid shelter as the cellar for small oak casks and the riddling racks where his sparkling wine is riddled by hand.

The results have drawn great attention – worldwide, it could be said. The Korb Castle Winery is the official wine producer of the Republic of San Marino. And at the Olympic Games in both Beijing and London, wines from this Appiano winery were served at state banquets.

The Moser winegrowing estate in Pianizza di Sotto (Caldaro) was inaugurated in 2018. That makes it one of the youngest in Alto Adige, but it is also among the largest and, without a doubt, the most ambitious. The vines, for example, are grown on two different locations on 10 hectares of land. The red varieties thrive on the heat and the Mediterranean climate of Lago Caldaro whereas the whites find optimum conditions on the glacial moraine in Monticolo. They all are then matured in different wooden barrels.

Everyone at the Moser winegrowing estate is striving for perfection, and it shows—for example, in the new, fully equipped cellar and the identity of the cellarer: none other than Gerhard Sarin is in charge here, the man who already achieved international renown as the cellarer of ERSTE + NEUE.

Approximately 55,000 bottles a year are produced at the Moser winegrowing estate under his aegis. The varieties on offer range from the fungus-resistant (PIWI) Souvignier Gris and the classics Ruländer, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon to Lagrein Rosé, Kalterersee, and Lagrein Riserva as well as the Toscarosso and Merlot Cabernet cuvées.

Those who have always wanted to be a fly on the wall in the cellar can take one of the weekly tours (tasting included). And those who love not only wine but beer, too, will be delighted to learn that the Moser wine estate is home to the only brewery-in-a-winery in Europe.

Welcome to Bethlehem! No, not the one you’re thinking of, but rather in Termeno. In the local vernacular, its oldest quarter is called – yes, really! – Bethlehem, and that is where one of the oldest farmhouses is found in the winegrowing village in the south of Alto Adige: the Rynnhof. And even if there is an obligation to history, the operation is more than modern.

The historical estate “an der Rynnen” appears in a document for the first time in 1438. Not only is it located right in the middle of the vineyards of Termeno, at the time it was in fact at a watercourse from which its name is derived. The watercourse is no longer there today, but the vineyards are. And since 2011, they have been managed by Johann and Nathalie Bellutti strictly according to organic guidelines. “This method of cultivation and our connection to nature make our wines something special,” Johann Bellutti says with conviction.

He was born at his parents’ Rynnhof with its medieval heart of a building, the stone-framed window flanning, and rounded arch gates, and this is where he also discovered his calling for winegrowing. And he cultivates his career and his calling, as he himself says, “In the Termeno tradition and the carefree quality of young ideas.”
And thus wines with great character come into being: Pinot Blanc, Lagrein, Schiava, and, it goes without saying for Termeno, Gewürztraminer. For them, for his products, Bellutti has coined a slogan that is as simple as it is catchy. He calls it plain and simply “Free Wines”.

“Anyone who has specialized in the production of natural wines has to accompany the wine along its entire path.” Thomas Niedermayr of the estate winery of the same name in Appiano views himself as just such a companion, as someone who wishes to guarantee purity and wants to support nature in its own production. “In the end,” his credo goes, “nature is the highest form of quality.”

The fact that top-quality wines can only come from grapes that are grown in a healthy environment is obvious for Niedermayr. For that reason, he manages his Gandberg estate ecologically. Growing and thriving between the grapevines, the visitor is greeted by chickens and runner ducks, the vines themselves are fungus-resistant, and the use of chemicals and other artificial aids is avoided. “We leave room for nature,” Niedermayr says.

In the case of the Gandberg Hof, nature starts right around the farmhouse. The vineyards are located at an elevation between 500 and 530 meters. Their microclimate is influenced on one hand by the ice holes and on the other hand by the Gandberg mountain itself, which rises up behind the farmhouse.

The special natural features and the sustainable management can be tasted in the wines from the Thomas Niedermayr Eppan Winery in Appiano. And that should also be tasted, says Niedermayr. “My entire commitment is targeted toward my wines radiating that which accompanies and guides their creation process” the winegrower says: “tranquility and relaxation, depth and the force of nature, lightheartedness and the pleasure of enjoyment.”

Elena Walch is actually an architect, but in the 1980s, when she married into the Walch winegrowing family in Termeno, wine became the main focus of her life. Since that time, it has been with commitment, self-confidence, and no compromise that she has implemented her ideas of sustainability in the vineyard and the winery and developed her terroir wines.

Even though Walch crossed over from a sector that was distant from wine, she soon became a forerunner and a pioneer of a wine philosophy which, forty years ago, was still broadly new. Quality became her guiding idea, and it was to be pursued without compromise: “With the finest terroir wines, we raised the quality standards of the region to a new level,” she says today, with self-confidence. And that is also attested to by independent experts. Thus the terroir wines of the two single vineyards of her estate winery – Castel Ringberg in Caldaro and Kastelaz in Termeno – are highly respected products that have received numerous awards and have found their place on the best wine lists around the globe. And both locations were included in the exclusive VIGNA list of vineyards, through which the origin of single vineyard wines is guaranteed.

The attention with which Elena Walch harvests proves that her linearity is in the right direction. In addition, the general development has proven her correct when what is concerned, for instance, is sustainable work in the vineyard and in the wine cellar. “Our particular attention along those lines was always paid to the support of the vine’s own self-defenses,” says the pioneer from Termeno.

In the meantime, Walch has also transferred her philosophy to the next generation. Today, she runs the family estate winery along with her daughters, Julia and Karoline.

“Working with nature means making compromises, compromises between acting and letting go. This balancing act is our daily challenge.” Since 2011, Marlies and Martin Abraham have been walking along this narrow tightrope. Since that time, they have been growing grapes themselves in the vineyards of the Abraham Estate Winery in San Michele-Appiano, saying, “If we are successful with the balancing act, then great wines emerge.”

For these “great wines”, we can also thank the variety of locations that the Abraham Estate Winery has. Their vineyards are scattered between San Paolo, San Michele, and Cornaiano at elevations from 450 to 700 meters. And because every vineyard has its own special features, the Abrahams have seen to it that only the most suited grape varieties grow in each one.

And with the selection of them, they also go back to tradition. Thus the vineyard above San Paolo has been planted for more than sixty years with Pinot Blanc. The grapevines in Appiano also have deep roots. In the hamlet of Weißhaus, the grandfather of today’s operator had already planted Pinot Blanc as early as 1955. And the small-berried Schiava grapes also grow between Appiano and Cornaiano on vines that are more than fifty years old.

So time seems to play a particular role at the Abraham Estate Winery. Because they take their time not only in the vineyards, but also inside the winery. Particular attention is paid to time: that, too, is part of the balancing act between acting and letting go.

The Kreithof is an estate winery filled with tradition whose roots date back to the Middle Ages.
At that time, a farm was created on a cleared space (in Middle High German, Gereuth) on a hill above San Michele-Appiano, the name of which little by little came under the influences of dialect until it was transformed into “Kreit”. And the way it looks is also different than it was back then. In the eighteenth century, the farmhouse was expanded into a magnificent manor, with the house occupied and the land worked by the Raifer family since 1813.

Aside from how the farmhouse looks, the economic pillars of the farm have always included winegrowing from the very start. So today, Johann Raifer runs seven hectares of vineyard area. “By far the largest part of our grapevines grow at somewhat higher than 400 meters above sea level on sandy-loamy moraine soils around our farmhouse,” Raifer explains. Just one smaller vineyard that belongs to the Kreithof is located in the vicinity of Lake Caldaro.

A broad palette of grape varieties is planted that ranges from Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc to Yellow Muscat and Goldmuskateller to Schiava, Pinot Noir, and Lagrein.

The wines from Baron Di Pauli were already drunk at the court of the emperor in Vienna and that of the tsar in St. Petersburg. And in 1999, a new chapter was added to the long history of the Baron Di Pauli Estate Winery in Caldaro. That was when the foundation was laid for the cooperation with the Cantina Kaltern, which drove forward a prestige project with upper echelon wines.

The Baron Di Pauli Estate Winery consists of two farms: the 10.5 hectare Arzenhof, that is located on a hill at Lake Caldaro and, at 4.5 hectares, the substantially smaller Höfl unterm Stein in Sella above Termeno. Because the locations of the vineyards are so different, the two locations also deliver very different grapes. Thus the Arzenhof grapes are made into the Bordeaux blend Arzio, the Carano Lagrein, and the Kalkofen Lago di Caldaro, while the grapes from Sella turn into the Exilissi and Enosi Gewürztraminers and a cuvée of Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Blanc.

But it doesn’t matter which grape variety or which wine – one guiding principle holds true for all of them: no compromise! “The yields in the vineyard are reduced to a minimum so that the vines can concentrate all of their energy on a few grapes which are then harvested by hand,” explains estate manager Baron Carl Philipp von Hohenbühel. The ideal composition of the soils, the Mediterranean climate, and the considerable temperature differentials between day and night make their contribution to top wines being created at the Baron Di Pauli Estate Winery.

Wines that would also be drunk at imperial courts. If there still were any left.

“My interest is aimed at wines that are not subject to conventions, but rather are proud, or even bold, to display their own character.” Hartmann Donà, head of the estate winery in Cornaiano that bears his name, doesn’t do things halfway. And that can first and foremost be tasted in his wines.

The foundation for a good wine is formed by a thorough understanding, and an interpretation built upon that, of soil, grape varieties, climate, and their interaction. Donà makes reference to that when he says, “Only in that way can unique originals come into existence – with the fine differences from year to year that characterize only unadulterated natural products.”

For Donà, what was therefore necessary first of all was to understand his sunny, airy vineyard at 450 meters above sea level in Cornaiano, the glacial moraine soil that is its base, and the gnarled, 40 to 50 year-old vines. To understand how through careful nurturing that is close to nature, a low number of small-berried, flavorful grapes are produced. And how from them, 35,000 to 40,000 bottles of wine can be created “with elegance and harmony, with Alpine freshness and a mineral-rich quality,” as Donà himself describes his wine.

The winegrower has very obviously understood all of that, and even understood it very well. His wines – Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, and an elegant Lagrein –are regarded as exciting, as wines with depth and breadth, as those for the serious connoisseur. Or, as Donà himself puts it, “Wines that do you good.”

The imposing church, which also decorates their logo, is a witness to the importance which the town had in the Late Middle Ages – not least because of the favorite wines from the area. At that time, San Paolo was the main village in Oltradige, and even today, historical winegrowing farmhouses line the picturesque lanes.

Top wines are now produced, such as Sanctissimus, made from Pinot Blanc vines that are more than one hundred years old, or the Praeclarus sparkling wine, which is aged to perfection in a bunker from the Second World War. A total of two hundred winegrowing families tend 185 hectares of vineyards at elevations ranging from 300 to 700 m above sea level. In 2019, they completely redid their product line. Allow yourself to be surprised!

It was only in 2019 that Stephan Rohregger took over the Prälatenhof Estate Winery in Caldaro from his parents. But to believe that the young winegrower was lacking in experience would be totally wrong. After all, not only did Rohregger have an education as an oenologist behind him, he also had a huge amount of experience as winemaker at a large, renowned private winery in Alto Adige.

Rohregger describes himself as “determined and quality-oriented.” In concrete terms, that means: the goal is quality and the winegrower and winemaker in one consistently heads for it. “All wines are made by us in a characteristic and authentic manner in ceramic or wood and are matured for at least a year,” Rohregger says. That which is created are not only wines of high quality, but also those with a high degree of recognition value. They are also not mainstream, but rather wines which reflect well the vineyards of the Prälatenhof Estate Winery in Pianizza di Sotto in the community of Caldaro.

These vineyards are described by the winegrower at the Prälatenhof in Caldaro with the term “very interesting”. On one hand, the vineyards are located in Caldaro at an elevation of 440 meters. Schiava is grown there on vines that are up to 90 years old, as is Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. On the other hand, the Prälatenhof had vineyards in the community of Cortaccia, and specifically in Corona, at 800 meters above sea level, where Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc grapes are grown. Two vineyards, two completely different locations, five grape varieties, and yet just one challenge for the three generations of Rohreggers at the tenuta Rohregger: to produce top-quality wines.