Alto Adige A wine lover’s guide

In Italy’s far north, this is a place that’s ripe for exploring, home to dramatic Alpine scenery and superb skiing, Mediterranean vegetation and sweltering summers – and wines that blend Germanic precision with Italian flair

- SARAH LANE

STORY 

Matched in excellence by quality cuisine, the wine culture in Alto Adige (also known as South Tyrol) is deep-rooted. Vines grow at varied altitudes in a Y-shaped area, with the main city, Bolzano, at its heart. Terrains here range from sandy marl and limestone to schist or porphyry, and wide temperature swings make for wines that combine the fresh, fragrant aromas of cooler climates with warm-weather power and complexity. Most come under the six Alto Adige DOC sub-zones, while more specific MGA zones (menzione geografica aggiuntiva: a specific, delimited area within a DOC/G, broadly equivalent to a ‘climat’ in France) are planned.

Bolzano’s appealing historic centre has countless references to wine in road names, frescoes and the cathedral’s medieval ‘wine door’. Protected by mountains, the city registers some of Italy’s hottest summer temperatures and vines flourish here. These include the Lagrein vines surrounding Castel Mareccio (see ‘My perfect day’, p71). The true home of fruity, vibrant purple Lagrein is, however, across the Talvera river in the Gries neighbourhood. At the Muri-Gries monastery (muri-gries.com), a former fortress that’s been home to Benedictines since 1845, benchmark Lagreins include Klosteranger, a single-vineyard Riserva from vines grown within the monastery walls.

Another monastery that plays a key part in Alto Adige winemaking is Abbazia di Novacella