Alle Weinkellereien an der Südtiroler Weinstraße

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.

“Five hectares, respect for nature, and no hocus pocus.” The philosophy of an estate winery cannot be described more briefly – or more accurately – than Kurt Rottensteiner does for his Brunnenhof in Egna. A philosophy that is also supported by the fact that the Brunnenhof is situated in Mazzon, one of Alto Adige’s best Pinot Noir areas.

Nature has therefore meant well for the vineyards of the Brunnenhof in Egna-Mazzon, for which the Rottensteiner family is grateful: since 2011, they have been running their estate winery according to ecological guidelines, and it is organic certified. “Our vineyards need to stay lively,” Kurt Rottensteiner says, since “The more vitality and fullness in the vineyards, the more will later on be in the wine.”

That holds true without making sacrifices for all of the locations and varieties at the Brunnenhof. Manzoni Bianco grapes have been thriving on the scree cone of the Rio Trodena and, since 1921, Lagrein vines! Added to these are Gewürztraminer, and Yellow Muscat, but above all else Pinot Noir. “The sandy loam soils, the wind exposure, the midday sun, the Ora wind from Lake Garda, and the cool nights: all of these are the perfect conditions,” explains Rottensteiner.

And the winegrower also abstains from hocus pocus above all else in the winery. In the vaulted cellars of the Brunnenhof that stay pleasantly cool in the summer, white and red wines mature, whereby the latter are without any small oak casks. “We don’t want the tannin and the vanilla flavor of wood, but rather more of the wine’s own tannins and its own fruit,” says Rottensteiner, aiming for wines that tell their own story. Without, in fact, any hocus pocus.

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.

The Gottardi family from Innsbruck had already made a name for themselves in the world of wine as dealers when, in 1986, they fulfilled a dream: with their own estate winery and grape growing areas in Alto Adige’s Pinot Noir heaven. Thus the Gottardi Estate Winery came into existence in Egna-Mazzon.

But before the Gottardis were able to get the first bottle of their own wine onto the market, a great deal of work was necessary. All of the vineyards were replanted and set up with Guyot trellises. And the winery was also rebuilt. Only in 1995 was it possible to make the first wines, starting out with Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. “But because Pinot Noir enjoys great popularity both nationally and internationally, in 2010 we decided to devote ourselves exclusively to this unique grape variety,” says Alexander Gottardi.

And the conditions for this in Mazzon above Egna are absolutely ideal: sandstone, limestone, and marl soils with long evening sun and cool mountain winds at night prevent the grapes from maturing too quickly. “They also grow rich in finesse and elegance,” Gottardi says with enthusiasm, as he makes his contribution to top-quality Pinot Noirs with a consistent policy of quality. Thus the grapes are harvested by hand and carefully selected.

“From the first year, the grape material has been transported into the winery only with gravity, which is very important since Pinot Noir is very sensitive,” the winegrower explains. His Pinot Noir is first matured in stainless steel tanks and then in small French barrique barrels, and finally allowed to age in the bottle. A lot of work for a place in the Pinot Noir heaven.

The Kettmeir Winery in Caldaro has existed since 1919. Or to put it better, the winery has existed since 1919, but they have also been making sparkling wine since 1964. Today, Kettmeir relies upon 60 suppliers who cover a broad winegrowing area. It ranges from Caldaro up to Soprabolzano on the Renon plateau in the north and down to Pochi above Salorno in the south.

Shortly after the end of the First World War, the agronomist Giuseppe Kettmeir built a winery in Caldaro. For nearly 50 years, the production of quality wines was the only pillar of the Kettmeir Winery, until the potential of sparkling wines was recognized in 1964. “As far as the production of sparkling wine is concerned, we are among the pioneers in Alto Adige and have made our contribution to reviving this tradition,” they say at the Kettmeir Winery.

Since 1986, this winery in Caldaro has belonged to the Santa Margherita winegrowing group, but the focus of its activity did not change with this event. Today, 60 winegrowers supply the winery with grapes that originate from 55 hectares of vineyards. The core is those in Caldaro, from which Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Red Muscat originate. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are also supplied by estates in Pochi, while the Ebnicherhof in Soprabolzano provides the winery with Müller Thurgau grapes.

Out of this diversity, Kettmeir creates exquisite sparkling wines – and since 1992 using only the classic méthode champenoise. “It is the most complex way of producing sparkling wine,” they say at the winery, “but also the most elegant.”

When Lake Caldaro is mentioned, those whose ears perk up are not just people who love a beautiful landscape, but above all else wine connoisseurs. At the Rösslhof, both will completely find what they are after: the former thanks to the ideal location of the estate winery right on the lake, and the latter because of the outstanding wines that are made at the winery.

It is Emma Ambach Psenner who has taken over the baton there and leads the estate winery today, which has been run by her family for generations. Building on this tradition, what is found in the product line of the Rösslhof are above all else the classic varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Schiava, and Lagrein. And for these, one clear guiding principle holds true: “It is a priority for us to best reflect the special landscape of Lake Caldaro, the location, and the climate in our wines,” the winegrower says.

Wine connoisseurs can best be convinced that this is successful right on site. After all, the Rösslhof runs its own farmhouse wine bar at which it is possible not only to taste your way through the entire product line, but also enjoy doing so with traditional Tyrolean home cooking. And if the wines from Emma Psenner turn out to be convincing, they can be purchased at the winery shop. And whoever would like to know how they are made will enjoy an excursion through the vineyards. Nothing is left out in terms of what plays a role in the world of winegrowing.

#Herzblutmenschen [people of passion]. #Werteverfechter [champions of values]. #Emotionenschaffer [creators of emotion]. Anyone who follows the Castelfeder Estate Winery in Egna on Instagram knows that the wine production here may be linked with a lot of know-how, with the necessary knowledge, and with many years of experience, but also with a great deal of heart. “We are emotion, and we create emotion,” the Giovanett family says of itself, as its third generation is now running the estate winery.

The Castelfeder Estate Winery was founded in Egna more than 50 years ago by Alfons Giovanett, but since that time, hardly anything has remained the same. “The product line has been expanded, production has increased, the processes in the winery have been modernized, and the market has become more international,” says Günther Giovanett, who took over the estate from his father Alfons and runs it with his children Ivan and Ines. Today, the Castelfeder Estate Winery encompasses 65 hectares, on which 70 percent is planted with white wine varieties.

“The focus is on Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc,” Giovanett explains. With the red wines, the concentration is on Pinot Noir.

But whether it is red wines or white wines, little has changed with the philosophy of the Castelfeder Estate Winery over the past 50 years. “The special feature of our wines is how they are grown,” Giovanett explains. “We divide every smallest plot in order to be able to attend to the needs of the grapes as well as possible.” That is how terroir wines with a particular character come into existence. Or, in keeping with Insta-jargon: #terroirwineswithheart

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.

The Kreithof below the ruins of Leuchtenburg Castle is the heart of the Nicolussi-Leck Estate Winery in Caldaro. The estate itself originated in the thirteenth century, but the winery, with several floors and perfectly built right into the hillside, is highly modern. At the Kreithof, the symbiosis between old and new has thus been successful.

The Kreithof is around 800 years old, and for somewhat more than a century, it has been in the possession of the Nicolussi-Leck family which originally came from the village of Luserna in Trentino. During the First World War, they moved to Lake Caldaro, where they made use of the perfect conditions for winegrowing to build the family’s own estate winery. Today, Jakob Nicolussi-Leck and his family tend six hectares of vineyards at an elevation of 350 meters. “Our locations are extremely varied,” says Nicolussi-Leck. “We can choose from slopes facing east, south, or west for the ideal orientation for each grape variety.”

Added to the ideal exposure are a mild climate, a constant breeze from the south, warm, loamy sandy soils, and last but not least the family’s know-how. That led in the 2010s to the decision to make wine themselves from the estate’s own grapes. To do so, a highly modern winery was integrated into the hillside – with all of the advantages that location and technology can offer. The 2017 vintage was the first one to be made into wine at the Kreithof. “The processing of the grapes takes place only with the help of gravity,” explains the winegrower at the Nicolussi-Leck Estate Winery in Caldaro. But the wine is aged not in the modern winery, but in the historical cellar of the Kreithof. The traditional and the modern: at the Nicolussi-Leck Estate Winery, they meld together into perfection.

Here the brute force of a bunker, there the elegance of a sparkling wine: the San Paolo Winery has brought together two apparent opposites, and it has been doing so since 1979. In that year, the first bottles of sparkling wine were filled and stored to mature in a bunker from World War Two. The result of that experiment is Praeclarus, which today is one of the calling cards of the San Paolo Winery.

Two hundred winegrowing families belong to the cooperative. They tend 185 hectares (457 acres) of vineyards in a spectrum of elevations that ranges from 300 to 700 meters (900 to 2,300 feet). The Chardonnay grapes that make their way into Praeclarus grow above the village at an elevation of around 500 meters (1,600 feet).

“This is the place where the grapevines find their optimal conditions,” explains Philipp Zublasing, winemaker at the San Paolo Winery. “On one hand, deep chalky soils; on the other hand, prominent temperature differentials between day and night which contribute to the special aroma of Praeclarus.”

This sparkling wine is produced strictly according to the classic méthode champenoise, with the second fermentation taking place in the bottle. The maturation time on the fine yeast amounts to at least forty-eight months, which the Praeclarus spends in the bunker. The temperature there is at a constant 12 degrees Celsius (54 degrees Fahrenheit), which is therefore ideal for a maturing sparkling wine. And incidentally, visitors can be convinced twice over: with a visit to the winery along with an excursion into the sparkling wine bunker, and of course with a bubbly glass.  

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.

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.

“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.”

Two wines come from the Milla Estate Winery in Cortaccia. No more. Both are cuvées, both contain the same three grape varieties, both ferment in open wooden barrels, and both can be aged for a long time. Winegrower Gert Pomella thus concentrates on a small product line. But good things come in small packages.

Pomella tends nearly four hectares of grape growing areas at the Milla Estate Winery in Cortaccia. It is divided into seven different vineyards, all of which are on steep slopes and have heavy loam soils. That makes them the ideal location for Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, which are grown at the Milla Estate Winery in Cortaccia. In different proportions, these three grape varieties form the foundation for the two wines from Gert Pomella: “Centa” and “Milla”.

When making the two wines, Pomella follows his own path. The fermentation takes place in open wooden and steel barrels, the cap of pressings is circulated several times a day – by hand. “I use the pressed wine to extend the physiological maturity of the wines,” the winegrower-slash-winemaker explains. Both wines then mature in small casks of French oak, and for a full 24 months. “I age my ‘Centa’ wine in used barrels and my ‘Milla’ in one hundred percent new barrels,” says Pomella, who then also lets his wines age for at least one year in the bottle.

A lot of time, a lot of expense, a lot of work for two wines. But you can taste it.

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.