Adige Valley

For the first time, South Tyrolean winegrowers had the opportunity to produce wine themselves and use the proceeds for themselves. Only five months later, the Terlan neighbours from the other side of the Etsch Valley did the same and founded the Terlan cellar cooperative. It paid off for everyone. Subsequently, the Andrian and Terlan winegrowers were able to gradually increase their incomes despite sometimes difficult political conditions, and currently they are among the best paid winegrowers in South Tyrol because of the high prices they receive for their grapes if they are of the right quality. Their wineries belong to the top class not only on a national level but also internationally.

Terlan Winery

Since 2009, the processing of the wines as well as the administration have been under the joint management of the Terlan Winery. Those who feared at that time that the wines of the Andrian Winery would be lost in the Terlan portfolio in the course of the merger of the two operations can convince themselves of the opposite ten years after the takeover. The Andrian wines present themselves even more independently and reflect the special features of their terroir in a recognisable way. They show their own character more strongly than ever before. Due to the very different soils, climatic conditions and grape varieties, it was important to all those involved from the very beginning to continue to view the wineries separately in the future and to preserve their respective identities independently of each other.

The chalky Andrian vineyards, for example, tend to face east, while the slopes in Terlan look south and west. As a result, the Andrian grapes ripen more slowly and are harvested later. "Bringing out these two different terroirs, each of which is immensely exciting in its own way, was, is and will remain our primary goal in the future," says sales manager Klaus Gasser. "In Andrian, with its chalky soils and due to the freshness that sets in relatively early in the evening, as well as due to the cool fall winds from the Gantkofel, we have excellent conditions for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines in the Burgundy style and for Sauvignon Blanc with a northern, cool, racy character."

Meanwhile, there is no need to say anything about the quality and longevity of Terlan wines, especially the whites. Pinot Blanc 'Vorberg', Sauvignon 'Quarz', the Classic Terlaner 'Nova Domus' as well as the 'Raritäten' wines matured in the cellar for at least ten years are among the most sought-after white wines in Italy and are regularly sold out even before they are released. Since 2011, the Terlan Winery has once again raised its quality level considerably with the Classic Terlan 'Il Primo Grande Cuvée'. It is a wine "that", says Klaus Gasser, "has to hold its own next to the best in the world. And it is not enough to be very good or excellent. Here it is not even enough to be excellent. You have to be really great, and that means offering uncompromising originality and distinctiveness in addition to exceptional quality in texture, depth and longevity. That's why we also decided to press this wine as a classic Terlan cuvée."

But it is not only with the selection lines and the absolute top wines that one is extremely ambitious in Andrian and Terlan. The level of the entry-level wines is also extremely high, so that they are often sold out long before the new vintage comes onto the market. "Which," says Klaus Gasser, "we don't really like, because these wines also have good development potential, which is far from exhausted at the time we have to bring them to market so as not to be without wine on sale for months." So with all wines - including those from Andrian - one should take to heart the guiding principle of the Terlan Winery: "We let wines mature."

Kiemberger Winery - Norbert Kofler

Kofler

Added value' - you often hear this word from Norbert Kofler. But he never uses it in an economic sense. For him, in the context of wine, it means the value that wine possesses beyond quantifiable parameters. For Norbert Kofler it is "the emotions, the connection and the joy that arise when I accompany my wines in their development from the grapes in the vineyard to the development in the cellar to the maturation in the bottle." Since he works full-time at the Laimburg experimental centre, he does not have to make a living from viticulture and, with his modest production in terms of volume, averaging 6,000 bottles a year, he can afford the luxury of "only making what I really like."

And he likes exciting wines that differ greatly from vintage to vintage because they have been created without corrective manipulative interventions. The cellar is rather sparsely equipped, with Norbert Kofler naturally making sure that his wines are free of faults, but otherwise "they should unfold as they are designed to do." This in turn means that there are not the same types of wine in every year. If, for example, a batch of wine intended for a cuvée turns out in the course of its development in the cellar to be more interesting on its own, it is vinified and bottled separately. The time factor is important to Norbert Kofler in all his wines. He wants them to have as broad a spectrum of aromas as possible and "that simply needs time to develop as well as perfectly ripe grapes." That's why the harvest always takes place in several rounds, during which only the ripest grapes are ever harvested.

Kofler

The range currently comprises five wines: Classic Terlaner, the white wine cuvée 'Weißes Handwerk', Langrein Riserva, Pinot Noir and a sweet wine that is pressed from year to year from different varieties. In addition to his own wines, Norbert Kofler produces three 'joint wines' together with his colleague Andi Sölva from Kaltern. The 'Flaschenpost' rosé from Lagrein, Vernatsch and Cabernet as well as a red and a white wine cuvée called '"VIRIBUS UNITIS" (meaning "With united forces"), "which are meant to unite the most interesting things from our two cellars" Even without organic certification, Norbert Kofler does not use chemicals in the vineyard, not least "for self-protection, because all work in the vineyard is done exclusively by me and my family, which is why the necessary plant protection is only done with agents that are also registered in organic farming."

Direct sales by appointment:

Kiemberger Winery - Norbert Kofler
Main street 21
I - 39018 Terlan (BZ)

Mobile: +39 333 2062944
email info@kiemberger.com

Arunda Sparkling Wine Cellars

Arunda

At Josef Reiterer's, probably the most accomplished sparkling wine producer in South Tyrol, joie de vivre and high quality standards are combined with a refreshingly simple warmth and hospitality. If you visit Josef Reiterer in his cellar in Mölten at 1,200 metres above Terlan (the highest sparkling wine cellar in Europe), you will usually find him wearing the classic blue apron, the emblem of South Tyrolean wine and fruit growers.

He is a man who loves luxury, but does not need to ostentatiously display it to the outside world. He lets his products speak - and they speak a clear language. His sparkling wines are among the best Italy has to offer. Like champagne, they are all produced using the classic bottle fermentation method.

Josef Reiterer started producing sparkling wine in 1979. Before that, he was responsible for the sales of bottling plants at a well-known German company. However, he was always more interested in the quality of what was inside the bottles and decided to return to South Tyrol and get into production.

However, he didn't want to "found the umpteenth winery", especially since "wine quality was at a rather modest level in South Tyrol at that time." And so the first pure sparkling wine company in South Tyrol was born. With the Terlan Winery, which already stood out from the South Tyrolean crowd in terms of quality, he had an excellent supplier of high-quality base wine right on his doorstep and was able to start right away at the level he had envisioned.

Arunda

In the beginning, the range consisted only of 'Arunda Brut', which still makes up the largest part of the range of wines, which now includes more than ten varieties. This great variety owes more to Josef Reiterer's curiosity and love of experimentation than to commercial considerations, which would suggest a more concise range.

Of some selections, just 500 to 800 bottles are produced per year, such as 'Phineas II', whose grapes come from the Dolomytos winery, founded by the now sadly deceased wine enfant terrible Rainer Zierock at an altitude of 500 metres on the Ritten. Rainer Zierock, who was very interested in mythology, planted everything he liked and found valuable, especially Greek varieties, in addition to the classic South Tyrolean varieties. Thus, in addition to Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, the Greek variety Assyrtiko can also be found in the Phineas.

Josef Reiterer was the first in South Tyrol and one of the first in Italy to produce high-quality organic sparkling wine, and here, too, the class of Arunda is evident. His 'Parlein' set standards in organic sparkling wine early on. Josef Reiterer would like to produce more of it, but "these organic people seem to prefer drinking tea to high-quality sparkling wine." He also lives out his aforementioned love of communication in sparkling wine production. Since 1995, he has been producing the 'Brut Rosé Reiterer & Reiterer' with his namesake Christian Reiterer from Styria, which includes the South Tyrolean varieties of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir as well as the Styrian red wine rarity Blauer Wildbacher.

Josef Reiterer's passion for high-quality sparkling wine is shared by his entire family. His wife Marianna is one of his "strictest and most important critics" and to her he has dedicated one of his best selections, the 'Cuvée Marianna', and his son Michael 'Muggi' shows with his 'Cuvée Muggi' that he already has what it takes to follow in his father's footsteps.

Tenuta Kornell - Florian Brigl

Tenuta Kornell

Even before you arrive at the Kornell winery, you can rejoice. This is the sight of the historic estate surrounded by well-tended vineyards, which - flanked by a majestic cedar tree - blends harmoniously into the landscape characterised by the wooded hills of the Adige Valley.

In the background, the ruins of Greifenstein Castle, which belong to the estate, tower above the ensemble and complete the aesthetic pleasure. The estate was first mentioned in a document in the 13th century, and archaeological finds prove that wine growing was already practised here at the time of the Raetians and the Romans. The Brigl family has owned the winery since 1927, and until the 1960s it also produced its own wine under the name Briglische Weinkellerei zu Schloss Greifenstein.

As the demand for high-quality South Tyrolean wines fell sharply in the 1960s and 1970s, production was discontinued and the grapes sold to the Schreckbichl cooperative in Girlan. Fortunately, when Florian Brigl took over the winery in 1996, the situation looked different.

Tenuta Kornell

Quality was once again in demand for South Tyrolean wine, and the vineyard's sites offered the best conditions for this. In 2001, Florian Brigl cellared his first wine. Initially in the modest quantity of 4,000 bottles. Currently, the potential of the winery is 200,000 bottles. The winery mainly cultivates its own vineyards. In addition, there are leased properties and a small part of the grapes come from selected suppliers.

The range is divided into three lines. The top line 'Signature', the line for the Riserva wines 'Staffes' and the line 'Seven'. The former consists of two white wines, the Sauvignon 'Oberberg' and the 'Aichberg', a mixed blend of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. They combine complexity and depth with animating character, which makes them excellent food companions. The grapes for both wines come from high vineyards in Eppan Berg in the Überetsch region. The red 'signature' wine is the single-varietal Merlot from the 'Kressfeld' site directly at the estate in Siebeneich. This wine impressively shows what qualities this often underestimated variety can offer in the right location with elaborate vineyard and cellar work.

The 'Staffes' line consists of the Riserva qualities of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Lagrein, whose grapes come from the Kornell vineyard. The claim here is complexity, depth and ripeness. And this is fulfilled. The wines of the 'Seven' line should be characterised by clear, juicy fruit, drinkability and the character of the respective grape variety, both in the white wines and in the reds. For the white wines, these are Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Grigio; for the red wines, the cuvée 'Zeder' consisting of the varieties Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Lagrein, a Pinot Noir and a single-varietal Lagrein.

Winery Kornell
Kosmas and Damian Way 6
I - 39018 Siebeneich (BZ)

Tel. +39 0471 917 507
info@kornell.it
www.kornell.it

Winery of Braunbach

Martin Drahorat

With a "von" in front of the name, one automatically thinks of a noble origin and the view of the castle of the Teutonic Order as well as the old monastery building with its well-tended vineyards make this thought seem plausible. The owners of the Braunbach winery, however, are quite 'normal' winegrowers. The winery would also be much too young for a noble origin. It was founded in 1991 by Hans Kleon, the father of the current owner Hannes Kleon. Hans Kleon had previously been cellar master at the Nals Margreid winery for 30 years, where he not only took care of the ageing of the wines, but was also one of the first in South Tyrol to experiment with the production of high-quality sparkling wines using the traditional bottle fermentation method.

After his active time in Nals, he wanted to do something of his own and began to put his ideas of high-quality sparkling wine into practice on the family farm in Bolzano. This farm was called 'Braun am Bach' and was referred to by the locals as the Braunbachhof. Since Hans Kleon cared about the origin of his product, he called his sparkling wine 'von Braunbach', which later became the name of the winery. Since Hans Kleon, as a cellar master, was used to producing different wines all his life and also took great pleasure in doing so, the range was expanded after six years to include two still wines - Chardonnay and St. Magdalener. Another two years later, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Lagrein, Merlot, Cabernet and a cuvée of Cabernet and Lagrein were added. At some point the farm in Bolzano became too small for this range of products and they looked around for other possibilities.

Martin Drahorat

The Kleon family found what they were looking for in Siebeneich, where the winery buildings of the Teutonic Order are located. The Order's own wine production had already ceased 70 years earlier, so the winery buildings stood empty. As a result, they were in a very poor condition and the pastor at the time was looking for someone to spruce them up and put them back into operation. It was not easy, and the Kleon family as well as the monastery had a whole year to do to restore the building and make it usable for modern wine production. However, the work was worth it. The building has been perfectly preserved in the old style and now houses not only the winery but also a small vinotheque where you can taste the house's wines next to an impressive old Torggel (wine press) inside or outside in the garden in the shade of a walnut tree. All this accompanied by a South Tyrolean bacon or cheese platter with a magnificent view of the Adige valley and the surrounding mountains.

The wine offer is divided into two product lines. Both have the same quality level, but differ in their history and the origin of the grapes. The 'von Braunbach' line consists of South Tyrolean Chardonnay and St. Magdalener, whose grapes come from the Braunbachhof farm in Bolzano. The 'Calldiv' line, named after the Kaldiff castle ruins, includes Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Lagrein, Merlot, Cabernet and the Cabernet/Merlot cuvée.