Alto Adige – Südtirol: Wines “in-between”

Alto Adige, located in the northernmost part of Italy, bordering Austria and Switzerland, is one of the few bilingual regions in Italy. Part of the population speaks German, and Ladin, a rare and old language used in the area of Dolomites. For these reasons this beautiful wine region is named Alto Adige in Italian, Südtirol in German.

A brilliant promotional campaign for the region mentioned that Südtirol is situated in-between: “between Austria and Switzerland, between Alpine peaks and Mediterranean landscapes, between German and Italian speaking areas, between a cosmopolitan outlook and deep-rooted tradition”.

Regarding the wine production, Alto Adige is also in-between: a wine style that it is definitely “nordic” – thanks to their very special terroir and climate – but at the same time Italian.

Almost the entire region is mountainous: the Dolomites peaks, which can reach more than 3500 mt (over 11,000 ft), forced vine growers to work miracles, cultivating vines even at 1000 mt (3.300 ft) above the sea level, on the steep slopes of the mountains and the famous “terraces” that are very common in the region. On the other end, Alto Adige/Südtirol is in Italy, in Southern Europe: along the valleys, far from the snowfields, and where the temperature is milder.

These two very different areas and terroirs allow for the cultivation of around 20 different vine varieties in a relatively small wine area (5300 hectars – 13096 acres). Alto Adige, together with Trentino (the southern part that gives the full name to the region, Trentino-Alto Adige) has 8 DOC, 4 IGT (last update March 2012). An impressive achievement.

Main vine varieties and wines in Alto Adige

White grapes

The 58 percent of Alto Adige vineyards is composed of white varieties. The most famous ones like Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc make up 70 percent of all the white grapes cultivated.

Gewürztraminer is probably one of the most popular and its name means “aromatic Traminer”. Traminer is a local grape, whose name comes from the town of Tramin or Termeno in Italian.

It is straw to golden-yellow, aromatic and full-bodied,  pungent on the nose, agreeably dry and spicy with hints of clove, roses and lychee.

It goes well both with fish based appetizers and fish dishes (a very good pairing is with salmon), pâtès and the famous Speck, the typical smoked ham of this area.

Sauvignon Blanc, Müller Thurgau, Riesling and the local white varieties Sylvaner, Kerner and Veltliner are also widely cultivated.

In particular Riesling, a kind of vine variety that needs a colder climate, reaches high levels of elegance and quality in the wines from this region.

Red grapes

Along with the two indigenous red varieties of Schiava and Lagrein, all other international  grapes (Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc) have been cultivated in this area for more than a hundred years.

Lagrein is a very interesting wine to discover both in its Kretzer or Rosé version and in the ruby version.

Lagrein Kretzer is rose-coloured to light ruby wine, delicately fruity on the nose. On the palate it is delicious with fresh, mouth-watering fruit. It goes well with flavored first courses like the local canederli, smoked fish, white meat and traditional cold cuts.

Lagrein ruby has a nose reminiscent of violets and blackberry. On the palate it is full-bodied and pleasantly bitter, perfect for local game dishes, red meat and piquant cheeses.

Cheers!

Do you know of other wines from Alto Adige/Südtirol? Which  is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below. 

Author’s Bio: This article was written by Alessandra from DiscoveringUmbria. You can also connect with her on Twitter at @discoverumbria