Wijnhuizen in Zuid-Tirol

At 1,150 meters above sea level, in sunny Mals, lies VinVentum – one of the highest wineries in Europe. But it is not just the altitude that makes this cellar so special: it is the combination of clear mountain air, mineral-rich soils, and the daily wind that sweeps through the vines, giving the wine its distinctive character.

VinVentum is a story of passion and dedication – told by a father-daughter duo. Stefan brings deep knowledge and years of experience with the terroir, while Julia contributes fresh ideas and a modern perspective. Together they tend their vines with care, respect, and genuine craftsmanship. The name says it all: Vin stands for wine, Ventum for the wind – a constant companion that shapes the microclimate and strengthens the vines. Where alpine freshness meets Mediterranean warmth, a single grape variety thrives: Solaris. This rare, resilient grape reflects the extremes of its origin in every bottle – with brilliance, elegance, and depth.

VinVentum stands for careful manual work and organic cultivation without machines. Natural herbal teas support the vines in a living ecosystem of wild herbs, bees, and butterflies. Only limited quantities of 100% Solaris wines are gently processed each year so that the terroir, altitude, and wind are clearly perceptible in the wine – as well as the love contained in every bottle. Or as Stefan and Julia themselves say: “We don’t follow trends – we follow the rhythm of nature.” And you can taste it. Every bottle of VinVentum is an expression of their alpine homeland: clear, distinctive, and quietly powerful.

In the heart of South Tyrol, on the sun-kissed southeastern slopes of the St. Magdalene hill in Bolzano, a young winery has taken shape—founded on passion, expertise, and a deep connection to the land. Here, where winemaking has been a family tradition for generations, a project has emerged that is rooted in history yet driven by a fresh, forward-looking vision.

The estate benefits from an exceptional location: during the day, the sun warms the soil and supports the ripening of the grapes; in the evening, a gentle Dolomite breeze flows down from the Rosengarten massif, lending finesse and aromatic depth to the wines.

With a solid education in agriculture from Bolzano and Vienna, the work in the vineyard and cellar is based on strong technical knowledge—paired with a constant desire to learn and grow. Every step, from vine to bottle, is carried out with care and attention, always in harmony with nature and the rhythm of the seasons.

The result is an authentic, terroir-driven range of wines that expresses not only the unique characteristics of St. Magdalene but also the energy and vision of someone who turned a lifelong passion into a profession.

“Wine has always been part of my life – now it has become my path”, says Katharina Martini.

A young winery – deeply rooted in tradition, yet open-minded, curious, and contemporary.

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.  

In the heart of the Funes Valley, where the rhythm of nature sets the pace of daily life, lies this farm – a place where passion meets expertise and every action reflects a genuine connection to the land. Rosmarie Prader and Gregor Tappeiner work side by side, united by a shared goal: to farm in harmony with the environment, preserving and enhancing what nature provides with care and respect.
A project that brings together viticulture, agriculture, and biodiversity. With great attention and in line with the principles of biodynamic farming, vines, fruit, and vegetables are cultivated – always in dialogue with nature and its cycles.

Rosmarie and Gregor each contribute their strengths: while knowledge and experience in biodynamics guide the work in the vineyard, the sales and distribution are managed with entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm. This creates an authentic concept that combines quality, sustainability, and a genuine joy for the land.
Together, Rosmarie and Gregor manage the farm using biodynamic principles as the foundation for sustainable practices and healthy soils. “For us, the farm is not just a workplace, but a living organism that we manage with responsibility and help to evolve,” says Rosmarie Prader. Their work blends practical knowledge with a clear goal: to produce quality, protect resources, and prepare the farm for the future.

On a sun-drenched slope in the upper Val Venosta, at over 1000 meters above sea level, lies a vineyard that, according to skeptics, shouldn't even exist: too high, too extreme, in the barren land of the Val Venosta. The agronomist Eduard Bernhart was not discouraged: more than the challenges, it was the potential of the steep slope that struck him. "That slope seemed ideal to me right away," says Bernhart.

From 2018 to 2022, he gradually planted the vineyard with Riesling and Pinot Noir vines. "Both varieties adapt to the shorter growing period at high altitude, as long as the cultural practices are suited to the extreme conditions of the location," explains Bernhart. "The position is unique: the slope is sun-drenched all day, rainfall is scarce, the wind of the Val Venosta keeps the grapes dry, and the large temperature fluctuations between day and night impart a particular aromatic quality."

"At high altitude, the wines turn out crisper and livelier," explains Bernhart. "Freshness, finesse, and elegance emerge more strongly, without sacrificing body and structure." In the end, however, it's not just the altitude that defines Altissimus wines, but also the philosophy of their winemaker: "Drinking a Riesling too young means wasting its potential," says Bernhart. "If a wine has quality, it should be allowed to rest and mature." For Altissimus, at least two years.

In the heart of Santa Maddalena lies the Waldgries manor in Bolzano. It was mentioned in a document for the first time in 1242, and is therefore one of the oldest estate wineries in and around Bolzano.

Winegrowing has been carried out here for around 700 years. In the sundrenched vineyards that lie directly at Waldgries Manor, the grape varieties of Schiava, Lagrein, and Red Muscat find the best terroir thanks to the Mediterranean climate. Among the total of 7.2 hectares which Christian Plattner tends are also grape growing areas in Ora and Appiano-Monte, in the latter of which are planted Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Blanc. The results are multilayered wines, not least of which is Santa Maddalena which is given particular attention here and which is in fact among the wines of Alto Adige with the richest tradition and the most significant history.

A piece of new old history is written by the Antheos Santa Maddalena classico, a mixed vinestock that had nearly died out which was newly planted here around ten years ago and allows us to experience a voyage into the past in a bottle. On the artistically arranged wine path that leads directly from the parking lot through the estate, visitors can experience everything that is interesting and worth knowing about Waldgries Manor.

A Lagrein from Roverè della Luna, which was supposed to be better than those of the surrounding villages, was mentioned by the travel writer Max Sittich von Wolkenstein as early as the seventeenth century. So the bar for the Cantina Sociale Roverè della Luna, the northernmost in Trentino, was therefore set high. For the 270 members of today, that is more of a motivation than a burden.

Roverè della Luna is situated just south of the Chiusa di Salorno cleft on a limestone cone. Even though the Adige Valley has been predestined for winegrowing, the conditions here are rather rough. “Gravel and limestone don’t hold water very well,” says Carlo Alberto Gasperi, winemaker at the Cantina Roverè della Luna, “so the vines only grow here with difficulty.” But what is a challenge for grapevines and winegrowers is for him a stroke of luck: “Because of the slow growth, an especially fruity wine comes into existence,” the winemaker says.

The Cantina Sociale Roverè della Luna was already founded as early as 1919, at that time with 24 winegrowers with great foresight. Today, the cooperative has 270 members who tend no fewer than 420 hectares of grape growing areas and, aside from the aforementioned literarily immortalized Roverè della Luna Lagrein, they also grow Teroldego, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Schiava, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Müller Thurgau.

In all of the still and sparkling wines from the Cantina Roverè della Luna, the terroir and its properties can be tasted, having been finished in a modern, rational winery. With a view forward, but also back to the roots of the cooperative. As is fitting for wines for which a literary monument was already put up four hundred years ago.

“Organic” can be a marketing gimmick, but for Karoline and Patrick Uccelli of the Dornach estate in Salorno, it is a philosophy of life. From Karoline’s education as a biologist through their diet and the – of course! – biodynamic winegrowing up to an agreement that Patrick made with the animals in the woods.

No, don’t worry: Patrick Uccelli is not a Dr. Doolittle, he doesn’t talk with the animals, but he knows about the significance of organic balance which from time to time can even endanger the financial element. “Our grapes seem to taste good to the deer,” Uccelli says, although he has not built any fences against the chewing, but rather, as he explains with a grin, he has struck a deal with the deer: “I won’t do anything to them if they keep out of the vineyards. They apparently understand this.”

And Uccelli, who is both a winegrower and an oenologist, is accustomed to traversing new paths. “I gladly experiment with different vinification methods, with the fermentation in large and small barrels, with different lengths of aging periods,” he says. Along those lines, the goal always remains the same: the production of wines that are as natural as possible.

And the production at the Dornach Estate is widely varied: the wines carry serial numbers on the label to underscore their uniqueness. Crispy wines with earthy, mineral-rich tones that they in fact draw from the soil with a particular composition: yellow and red loam mixed with iron oxide.
Is that the reason why the grapes also taste good to the deer?

Distillation at the highest level
With fruits and grapes from our own vineyards we produce excellent fruit brandies and grappa. We use only fresh, sun-ripe and healthy fruit. Those are the heart and the abundance of aroma of our noble brandies and grappa. Barrique barrels in our naturalstone cellar hold special distillates up to 2 years, thus they get a pleasant mature and finesse! In our sortiment you will find various fruit brandies, berries brandies, grappa and liquors.

Winegrower, wine connoisseur, wine drinker: what Matthäus Ladurner’s great passion might be can be guessed without a great amount of difficulty just from this list alone. And he can live it out at the Partaneshof estate winery in Merano, an historical estate winery in the health resort city to which a bed and breakfast hotel also belongs.

Merano was once regarded as the southern balcony of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and its particular climate has turned the city into a health resort that is renowned and popular throughout all of Europe. And more than just that: a lot of sunshine, very little precipitation, mild temperatures, and good air circulation are also optimal for winegrowing, which also emphasizes the century-old wine tradition at the Partaneshof estate winery in Merano. A tradition which proprietor Matthäus Ladurner continues to cultivate today with passion.

So it is not only organic fruit that grows in the orchards around the Partaneshof, but also the basis for top-quality wines. “We make a comparatively broad palette of varietals, ranging from Lagrein and Pinot Noir to Chardonnay, Schiava, and Cabernet all the way to Shiraz,” Ladurner explained.

And it is specifically from the indigenous Schiava grapes that an extraordinary wine is made at the Partaneshof in Merano. “With the ‘Merano Küchelberg’, we produce the typical light Merano Schiava variant,” explains the winegrower, who also has a second favorite in his assortment on offer. “Chardonnay is one of our preferred Alto Adige wines: a fruity, noble white wine that goes with all occasions.”

The Radoarhof in Velturno is situated at no less than 850 meters above sea level – and directly at the Chestnut Path in the Valle Isarco. It is thus one of the highest winegrowing estates in Alto Adige. And one on which Edith and Norbert Blasbichler have been working strictly biodynamically for a quarter century: according to the phases of the moon, with herbal teas, and with exclusively natural yeasts.

But biodynamic or not, it doesn’t matter: work is work. The leaf trimming of the vines that are up to forty years old takes place at the Radoarhof just like everywhere else, and it is also taken just as seriously. And yet the work in the vineyards of the Radoarhof that are situated at 900 meters and encompass three hectares differs fundamentally in many ways from those that are more conventional, and that is also reflected in the results: Norbert Blasbichler is convinced that “The use of biodynamic preparations, various herbal teas, the planting of greenery, and the consultation of the phases of the moon yield special grapes.”

Contributions to the “special grapes” are also made by the slate soils and the constant sunshine. And they are also processed specially in the winery. For the fermentation, for instance, only natural yeast is used, and the wines – Müller Thurgau, Kerner, Zweigelt, and Pinot Noir – are allowed to mature after that for nine months, some of them in large oak barrels.

And by the way: at this winegrowing estate so close to the sky, top-quality distilled spirits are also produced. Biodynamically, of course.

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.