The German words roll off Helena Lageder’s tongue with a little verve: “We use a…buggel spritzen.” We are in the middle of a conversation about biodynamic sprays. “It’s a metal rucksack—you fill it with liquid, and wear it on your back,” she explains. I can picture it now: an agriculture backpack sprayer. It strikes me that we are talking about Italian winemaking and this German description seems a little out of place, but the peculiarity makes immediate sense when I recall the history of Alto Adige, the region where Helena’s family-run winery, Alois Lageder, is located.
Alto Adige, located in northern Italy, borders Switzerland and Austria. It is a mountainous region, where the striking Dolomites and southern Alps are an antithesis of the rolling Tuscan hills and sun-drenched coastlines that have come to define the bel paese for the rest of the world. The region was once under Austrian rule in the early 19th century. After enduring territorial and ideological battles during the two world wars, Alto Adige eventually became an autonomous region in northern Italy, and the populace was allowed to keep their unique Austrian cultures and customs. German and Italian remain the official languages. The region is also known as Südtirol or South Tyrol.
Helena, 26, is the sixth-generation member of Alois Lageder. The winery is almost 200 years old: in 1823, Johann Lageder, a wine merchant based in Bolzano, bought a number of vineyards in the region, starting the family wine business that has continued to this day. Alois III, Johann’s great-grandson, passed away suddenly in 1963. Alois IV, Helena’s father, was only 12 years old then, so his eldest sister, Wendelgard, had to take over the operations of the winery.
Denne historien er fra September - October 2019-utgaven av WINE&DINE.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September - October 2019-utgaven av WINE&DINE.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
New Blood
The next-generation is breathing new life into the forgotten art of spice-mixing, peppering the traditional trade with renewed ideas and fresh perspectives.
Sharing Is Caring
Compared to its flagship at Serene Centre, Fat Belly Social at Boon Tat Street is a classier and bolder affair, in more than one sense.
Nutmeg's Role In Singapore's History
From tales of it being used to ward off the plague in mid-1300s Europe to one of the ingredients in dessert, we have all known, tasted, or at least heard of nutmeg. But not many know of the spice’s role in Singapore’s history.
New And Improved
The ever-profound chef-owner Kenjiro ‘Hatch’ Hashida finds more room, three to be exact, to express a Ha Ri philosophy at Hashida Singapore’s new location at Amoy Street.
Pairing Spice-Driven Cuisines With Wine
Pairing spice-driven cuisines with wine has long been a challenge but with a little imagination, it doesn’t have to be.
Let Land Grow Wild
Niew Tai-Ran has worn many hats: aeronautical engineering major, investment banker, avid surfer, and, for the last 14 years, winemaker. Discover how this Malaysia-born, Singapore-native is championing the “do-nothing farming” philosophy at his vineyard in Oregon.
The South Asian Misnomer
Incredibly diverse and varied than most know, Indian food is far more intriguing than butter chicken or thosai. Here is a crash course on the extensive cuisine from region to region, recognisable for the seemingly infinite ways of using spices.
Keepers Of The Spice Trade
From its glory days along trade routes to pantry staples all over the world, spices have become so commonplace that we’ve taken them for granted. For these three trailblazers, however, spice is their livelihood and motivation: Langit Collective working with indigenous rural farming communities in Malaysia; IDH’s Sustainable Spice Initiative; and chef Nak’s one-woman mission to share forgotten Khmer cuisine.
Sugar, Spice And Everything Nice
Like food, spices bring vibrancy and variety to alcoholic beverages. Surfacing in unexpected ways on the palate, find everything from cumin to tamarind, cloves to cardamom enriching these drinks.
Building Blocks From The Archipelago
For the smorgasbord of dishes found in Indonesian cuisine, it is a little known secret that the modest bumbu, in all its variants, is the bedrock of such flavourful fare.
