Alto Adige

Welcome to October!

Nothing evokes the changing of the seasons more than trekking up to the mountains. We trek up the Dolomites in Northeastern Italy, right on the border with Austria to the north, to explore the wine region of Alto Adige.

Alto Adige is an alpine wine region in the larger Trentino-Alto Adige that is Italy’s version of Alsace. Due to its strategic location and autonomous thirst for power, the area of Alto Adige was once Italian, then Austrian, then Italian, then Austrian, and finally returned to Italy in the 20th century. Because of this consistent geopolitical back and forth, the region experiences somewhat of a cultural schizophrenia- it is Italian, but also very Bavarian. In fact, the majority of the population speak both Italian and German; some even have German names! This dual personality disorder, coupled with the geographic location, is very much reflected in the wines, for they operate more similarly to Bavarian styles of wine, yet have that typical Italian flair.

Alto Adige, also called Sudtirol, is probably the most beautiful region in the world. The second you are surrounded by the region and the Dolomites you immediately feel like a member of the Family Von Trapp singing “The Hills Are Alive”, because the pristine beauty is unmatched and truly difficult to describe with words. Luckily, the wines evoke this incredible beauty. On one hand, you have Bavarian styled whites that are lean and methodical; on the other, you have rich, succulent reds reminiscent of Tuscany. All together, you have wines that truly reflect the unique nature of Alto Adige.

Alto Adige is a remarkable region that produces truly wonderful and provoking wines. If you are a Francophile in need of a segue into Italy, this is your train. All aboard to Sudtirol!

Meet the featured producers:

Muri-Gries

Muri-Gries is one of two wine-producing monasteries in Alto Adige. Wineries are something almost sacred for wine connoisseurs. And at the Muri-Gries Monastery Winery, that impression may be even stronger. After all, up until the end of the eighteenth century, the rooms which are used as a winery today were the church of the Augustinian seminary at that time. And even today, the winery is reached directly through the cloister of the monastery.

The connection between wine and the monastery which has already existed for centuries therefore also becomes clear at the monastery complex. Thus the heart of the vineyards, the monastery meadow, is still a part of the monastery complex today in the Bolzano district of Gries. In addition, the grapes from other vineyards in and around Bolzano and the Oltradige also come to the monastery winery.

The proprietor of the winery and the estate is the Benedictine Community of Muri Gries, while the daily work concerning wine lies in the hands of laymen, first and foremost winemaker Christian Werth. He describes the wines from the monastery winery as “elegant, linear, emphatically typical to the variety, powerful, and closely connected with their origins.”

Hofstatter

Josef Hofstätter operated a small restaurant in Tramin together with his wife Maria and produced wine in their cellar. Being business savvy and forward-thinking, he founded a winery in 1907 and successfully traded wine. Josef Hofstätter passed away childless in 1942 and his wife continued to run the business, assisted by their long-time employee, Konrad Oberhofer.

Konrad Oberhofer later married Maria Hofstätter’s niece, Luise, and eventually took over management of the winery. As a pioneer of quality wine production in Alto Adige, Konrad Oberhofer bottled his own wines instead of selling them in bulk. He also began to vinify single-vineyard wines. With this he lay the cornerstone for the philosophy of wines of origin at Weingut J. Hofstätter.

Paolo Foradori, son of a vintner family from Trentino, married Luise and Konrad Oberhofer’s only daughter, Sieglinde, in 1959. He brought the Barthenau, Oberyngam, Unteryngram and Oberkerschbaum wine farms into the family estate. Since then, the J. Hofstätter estate has been the only family winery in Alto Adige to own vineyards on both sides of the Adige River.

Alois Lageder

Founded initially as a wine merchant in the city of Bolzano in 1823 by Johann Lageder, the company is closing in on its bicentennial in the wine industry. Over the years, the family began producing their own wine and growing some of their own grapes as well. A major milestone came in 1934, when Johann’s great-grandson Alois purchased the Löwengang wine estate in Magrè, shifting the company’s focus from merchant to producer. Over time, the family acquired other well-positioned vineyards in Alto Adige and entered into purchase agreements with many of the small growers around Magrè. 

The current owner of the estate is Alois Lageder IV, the son of the man who bought the Löwengang estate. Alois IV took control of the company in the mid-1970s, alongside his sister Wendelgard and her husband, enologist Luis von Dellemann. His son Alois Clemens Lageder, representing the sixth generation of family ownership, recently stepped into the management-helm of the winery. 

The inconspicuousness of the Lageder presence in Magrè is emblematic of the winery’s intent to fit in seamlessly with the local community and the natural environment in this bucolic, pristine setting. Lageder works hard to be a good neighbor and a good steward of the land by practicing biodynamic farming, doing their part to mitigate any harmful effects of their winemaking facilities, and helping their grower-partners and others in the valley to do the same.

Terlan

Founded in 1893, Cantina Terlano has grown into one of the leading wine growers' cooperatives in the Alto Adige region of northeastern Italy. With a current membership of 143 growers farming a total area of 165 hectares, Terlano insures the highest standards of quality by compensating growers for the quality of their grapes not the quantity. The emphasis in the vineyard is on reducing yield in favor of producing more concentrated fruit.

Located in the Dolomite Mountains in the foothills of the Alps, Terlano's distinctive location and extraordinary terroir are key to the development of their stunning, world-renowned wines. Situated in a sheltered hollow, Terlano benefits from an ideal south‐facing exposure. Vineyard slopes ranging from 250m-900m ASL provide perfect conditions for the cultivation of grapes, especially Lagrein, a variety that is indigenous to the Alto Adige region. In the vineyard, red porphyry rocks with high mineral content retain the day's warmth, while the porous soil creates an environment with just enough moisture for the roots to extend deeper into this mineral-rich soil. In combination with cool evening temperatures, these factors create wines of incredible depth and potential for aging.

Terlano wines are classified in four distinct quality lines: Tradition, Selection, Rarity and Primo. Terlano wines are famous for their incredible depth and complexity and their stellar reputation continues to make these wines highly sought after both at home and internationally.