Exploring the Alto Adige aka SüdTirol of Northern Italy

Posted on   April 4,2020   By John Compisi

September is an amazingly beautiful time to visit the Italian Provinces of Trentino and Bolzano (Südtirol). Part of northern Italy and running about 150 kilometers from the Austrian Border south to the Italian Province of Veneto (Verona and Venice) the Provinces are accessed from the north via the famous Brenner Pass (Passo del Brennero in Italian). The alpine mountains in the very west, reaching up to 12,812 feet, and the Dolomite to the east, protect the north-south grape growing region between Bolzano and Trento.  The area is historic, enchanting and perfect for wine lovers and mountain trekkers as well.  

One of the very interesting facts about this part of Italy is its semi-autonomous nature. Historically and geographically straddling Austria, Italy and Germany about 75% of the inhabitants identify German. By law, the region is bilingual with all schooling and signage in both German and Italian. 

We visited the region for 4 days in September a few years ago and found the scenery breathtaking, the food delightful and the wines simply glorious. As we had flown into Munich non-stop from San Francisco, we arrived via Germany and the Brenner Pass. Having lived in Germany for several years, we were very familiar with the Pass but had always bypassed Alto Adige on our way to Venice, Florence or Rome. Not this time.

We made time to hike in the many parks in the mountains and enjoyed many of the local wines. The hiking was quite spectacular with the western lower Alps and the eastern Dolomite as the playground of our adventures. One of our hikes began by taking the nearly 120 year old Mendola Funicular (“Mendelbahn” in German, “Funicolare della Mendola” in Italian) which rises over two thousand feet at a 64% incline in just 12 minutes. The funicular is one of the steepest funiculars in all of Europe and it begins in the village of St. Anton. The views of the Valle dell’Adige and Southern Tyrol are breathtaking and worth the €10 for adults just for that view. Once at the top, however, there are numerous trails that offer wonderful alpine type forests and flora. The trails we took were moderate in effort and quite delightful. We brought wine and lunch makings and enjoyed a picnic overlooking this fantastic location. The funicular operates throughout the year and runs three times per hour (every 20 minutes).

What makes it possible to grow wine grapes in a region that can be very cold in the winter? During the growing season, at night, the warm air rises and displaces the cool air in the high mountains which in its turn descends almost 7,000 feet to the valley, producing a drastic difference between day and night time temperatures, called a ‘diurnal temperature swing’. The grape vines are able to rest during the night prolonging the ripening period, we Californians call it ‘hang time’. A longer ‘hang time’ yields more intense fruit characteristics, softer tannins and very good acid (a key to age-ability). 

Schiava (also known as Vernatsch), Lagrein, and Gewürztraminer are the ambassadors of Alto Adige wine. They were documented as early as the Middle Ages and actually originated in Alto Adige. Schiava dominated for a long time because of its high yield. Lagrein was only vinted as a rosé (also known as Kretzer), while Gewürztraminer almost died out. About 20 years ago, Alto Adige reflected upon its original varieties, and Lagrein has now become an emblem of the new Alto Adige red wine. Reductions in yields and strict selection have also brought about a renaissance for Schiava, Alto Adige’s lighter red wine. In terms of vineyard area, Schiava today makes up twenty percent. It is planted by nearly every winery. Lagrein makes up another eight percent, while a full ten percent is covered by Gewürztraminer – the parade aromatic white grape variety.

According to Wikipedia, 58% of the Alto Adige’s wines are made with white grape varieties: Pinot Grigio, Gewürztraminer, 
Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay are the most common. Among the red grape varieties, in South Tyrol along with the two indigenous varieties of Schiava and Lagrein all other classic grape varieties have been produced for more than one hundred years: Pinot Nero (Noir), Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

We visited a couple wineries during this brief visit but our favorite by far was The Winery Castelfederin Cortina s.s.d.vino. Castelfeder was founded in 1970 by Alfons Giovanett. Initially Giovanett, like so many vigneron was first focused on farming and only making wine for himself and his family. In 1989, his son Günther and Günther’s wife, Alessandra, took over the company and added additional vineyards while increasing production through contracts with other local growers.

Fast forward 20 years and the next generation has taken the reins. Son and daughter Ivan and Ines Giovanett have teamed up to move this amazing wine company to the next level. The wines are elegant and so representative of the Alto Adige terroir and widely distributed in Europe and the U.S. Ivan is the winemaker, having studied viticulture and enology and Ines runs the sales and marketing operation.

We also enjoyed the wine from Cantina Tramin, a 122 year old growers cooperative. This ultramodern tasting room and winemaking facility is in sharp contrast to the vineyards and mountains that surround it. Tramin winery is in the Alto Adige winegrowing village of Tramin. “Traminer” was a term known throughout the entire German-speaking world as early as the thirteenth century. But for a long time, it nearly sank into oblivion. Today it is one of the most requested of the Italian white wines from Alto Adige. Its sumptuous spectrum of scents, with notes of rose petals, cloves, lychees, and other tropical fruits, makes Gewürztraminer the absolute embodiment of an aromatic wine variety. With its intense color, comparatively high alcohol content, and luxuriant texture, it truly is the epitome of a meditation wine. The Pinot Grigio was exceptional and the Pinot Noir was elegant and distinctly Alto Adige!

We stayed at the Hotel Villa Groff in the small village of Ora. This is a pension (half board) style hotel with more than adequate rooms and a restaurant on site. The room rates included meals (breakfast and dinner) as the village of Ora is surrounded by agriculture with little in the way of amenities. It looks like they have done some significant refreshing as the rooms were a bit thread bear when we stayed there. None-the-less, the staff and hospitality were quite convivial and the location was perfect.

All-in-all, Süd Tirol is a fabulous place to visit and we will most certainly return to explore more. Perhaps we’ll see you there.