The mix of culture and language found in Alto Adige – which was a part of the Austrian empire until 1918, when it was known as Sudtirol – is reflected in the winemaking of the area, both on the outside and inside of the bottle. Don’t be surprised to find German wine names and terms on the label with words such as “blauburgunder” for pinot noir or “alte reben” for old vines. After all, you’re more likely to hear German still spoken in most parts of Alto Adige than you are Italian, except in the capitol of Bolzano, where Italian remains the language of choice.
The climate of Alto Adige is also something truly special – it's where the Alpine and Mediterranean influences meet. In the Mediterranean-touched southern slopes is where warmer grape varieties such as cabernet sauvignon can be grown, and in the extremely cool high-altitude vineyards is where muller thurgau flourishes.
The best red wines typically come from the eastern side of the Adige River on high-altitude sites, where the grapes have to be harvested by hand and often through cooperative effort. A site of note is Mazon, which has long been considered a top cru for pinot noir in the area. Famed producer Franz Haas is located nearby and has pinot planted as a high as 900 meters up. We have one of his fantastic offerings listed below.
But we would be remiss not to mention some of the other fantastic local red varieties that this region specializes in. Lagrein is hearty red grape with a lot of power and grace, often full-bodied and rich with bright acidity, and it typically has a mineral edge gifted from the soil. In the list below, we found Elena Walsh’s Lagrein from 2019 to command a lot of the opulent black fruit character you would expect from the variety, with some nuttier notes to round it out.
Vernatsch is another local specialty and is the most widely planted red variety in all of Alto Adige. It’s actually identical to Croatia’s schiava and Germany’s trollinger, so while not an indigenous grape, it is a closely associated with the region. In the past few decades, vernatsch has not been taken as seriously as pinot noir or lagrein because it often produces lighter wines with less structure and tannin than its counterparts. However, some younger winemakers are trying to change this perception and are producing more interesting examples, burnishing vernatsch's formerly lackluster reputation.
