Preview Tre Bicchieri 2021. The best wines of Alto Adige

The best wines of Alto Adige

Few appellations can boast the variety of soils, elevations, exposures and climates that Alto Adige has. It's a region that stretches across valleys, plateaus outstanding for viticulture, slopes that are sunny during the day and refreshed by breezes at night, from the Mediterranean basin of Bolzano to the cool, high vineyards on the Mendola or Renon. This diverse appellation hosts many grape varieties, from the historic Lagrein, Schiava and Traminer, to more recently introduced varieties, like Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Bordeaux grapes. It's an agricultural fabric that's managed by a varied set of producers: cooperatives, historic estates, and small, family-run businesses. Together they cover a few thousand hectares of exceptional vineyards while maintaining a very high standard of quality.

The typical cultivars

It's up to growers to highlight the attributes of the area, expressing the warmth of the shores of Lake Kaltern with thick Cabernets, such as Cantina di Cortaccia's Freienfeld, the freshness of plots cultivated at 1000+ meters elevation, like Tiefenbrunner does with their Müller Thurgau Feldmarshall, or the inseparable link between the Eisack Valley and Sylvaner, as is clearly seen in the wines of Köfererhof and Strasserhof. Then there are areas such as Oltradige or Burgraviato, where elegance characterizes the best bottles, from Merano's Pinot Bianco Tyrol to Colterenzio's Sauvignon Lafóa, from Girlan's Pinot Nero Trattmann to Gumphof's Sauvignon Renaissance. Riesling has found its ideal habitat in the Eisack and Vinschgau valleys, while the hills surrounding the capital see Lagrein and Schiava competing for the best positions, with the former giving rise to compact and deep wines, and the latter spawning San Maddalena, a wine capable of expressing the warmth of the territory, bringing together richness and simplicity. The sparkling wine sector is attracting more and more attention, with many producers looking with interest at the world of bubbly, following the path traced for decades by Kettmeier and Lorenz Martini.

• A. A. Bianco Grande Cuvée Beyond the Clouds ’18 – Elena Walch
• A. A. Cabernet Sauvignon Freienfeld Ris. ’16 – Cantina Kurtatsch
• A. A. Chardonnay Sanct Valentin ’18 – Cantina Produttori San Michele Appiano
• A. A. Gewürztraminer Nussbaumer ’18 – Cantina Tramin
• A. A. Lagrein Abtei Muri Ris. ’17 – Cantina Convento Muri-Gries
• A. A. Lagrein Taber Ris. ’18 – Cantina Bolzano
• A. A. Merlot V. Kressfeld Ris. ’16 – Tenuta Kornell
• A. A. Müller Thurgau Feldmarschall von Fenner ’18 – Tiefenbrunner
• A. A. Pinot Bianco Sirmian ’19 – Nals Margreid
• A. A. Pinot Bianco Tyrol ’18 – Cantina Meran
• A. A. Pinot Nero Trattmann Ris. ’17 – Cantina Girlan
• A. A. Sauvignon Lafóa ’18 – Cantina Colterenzio
• A. A. Sauvignon Renaissance Ris. ’17  – Gumphof Markus Prackwieser
• A. A. Spumante Extra Brut M. Cl. 1919 Ris. ’14 – Kettmeir
• A. A. Terlano Pinot Bianco Vorberg Ris. ’17 – Cantina Terlano
• A. A. Val Venosta Riesling ’18 Falkenstein – Franz Pratzner
• A. A. Valle Isarco Sylvaner ’19 – Strasserhof Hannes Baumgartner
• A. A. Valle Isarco Sylvaner R ’18 – Köfererhof Günther Kerschbaumer
• A. A. Valle Isarco Veltliner Praepositus ’18 – Abbazia di Novacella