From a Country of Contrasts: Pinot Noir, Schiava, Lagrein at Alto Adige’s Cantina di Bolzano plus a Menu for Alpine Wines #ItalianFWT

Alpine Alto Adige’s Cantina di Bolzano

“What wine is this?” asks Marshall as he takes a sip from my glass during a dinner at home of smoked pork shoulder roast. “It’s good.”

“Lagrein.”

“Riserva, it says riserva. What grape is that?” he asks as he takes another sip.

“It’s Lagrein, the grape is Lagrein.”

“But it says riserva.” He points to the label as he drinks more wine from my glass.

“Yes, but it’s Lagrein,” I repeat. “The grape is Lagrein. Riserva is an expression of quality. “Taber” is what we call a fantasy name for their top wine, their riserva. DOC also indicates quality. In this area of northern Italy, 98% are DOC wines.”

“I like it. It’s really good with the smoked pork,” he says. “But what is it?”

This is starting to get  comical. “Lagrein. It’s a hybrid of Teroldego and some other grape I don’t recall off the top of my head. It’s not every common — not a lot of it in Northern Italy and not a lot elsewhere. There’s some Lagrein made at Montinore in Oregon.” 

He tries to puzzle out the label. I totally understand his confusion. “Well it’s an Italian wine with Swiss and German roots,” I try to explain. “It’s from Cantina di Bolzano, a very important cooperative in Alto Adige located near Bozen. The name at the top of the label is Kellerei Bozen— that’s the winery name in Swiss. This part of Italy is in the far north on the Austrian border with Switzerland and close to Germany where a lot of tourists come down. Italians know it as Trentino — the capital Trento is a bit further south, not far from Venice, and I stayed there with Melanie Webber in 2022.”

“The label also says Suditerol,” I continued, “that’s the German name for the area. I know, it’s confusing. Which language to use? That’s always the question— do they use Swiss or Italian? It’s a struggle for them to know, but most of the people in the region speak several languages including English— which was fortunate for me when we visited! The people at the winery are about 70% German and 30% Italian, so people know both languages, and at the cantina they speak half and half, a mixture of both languages. Matthias Messner, the Director of the Cantina told us in a ZOOM that sometimes they don’t even remember which language they spoke in.”

He’s still interested so I keep going. “They call it a country of contrasts. Italy and Austria. At the same time a Mediterranean climate and a continental climate. As you go up in elevation it’s more and more Alpine, but the highest peaks of the Alps block the most extreme weather, make it more temperate for the grapes.They get 300 days of sun!  They’re already growing at 5000’…with climate change, as it gets hotter, they can just go up the hillsides for their white wines to keep the acidity,” I explain. “It used to be a land known for white wine but now red wines like this one are getting all the attention.”

“I like it. It’s good,” he says. “It has good fruit, and it’s smooth but it’s not boring or harsh. It’s not too heavy but it has a lot of flavor.”

 

Wines from Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano

What is Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano

Two coops formed in the Alto Adige region, one in 1908 with thirty wine growers in Gries, and the other in 1930 with 18 wine growers around the hill of Santa. Maddalena, to promote local and autochthonous wines. One hundred years later, the combined coops enjoy a membership of 224 families mostly living in their vineyards dedicated to sustainability, diversity, passion, and enjoyment growing organic grapes on 350 hectares of the best Bolzano vineyards at between 200 and 1000 meters above sea level. In 2016, a new winery was built to low-energy standards to cooldown in summer and stay warm in winter with gravity flow. They are the first in the region to be sustainable and the coop helps people know and follow the rules. An external consultant helps with sustainability.

“If we as a coop work well,’ Messner said, “it (money) goes to the 224 families. We do all the expenses and the leftovers go to the grapes and pay the winegrowers.”

Wines from Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano

  • 2023 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Blauburgunder” Pinot Nero, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

  • 2023 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Huck Am Bach” St. Magdalener, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

  • 2022 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Perl” Lagrein, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

  • 2020 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Taber” Lagrein Riserva, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

  • www.kellereibozen.com/it

alpine wines menu— risotto and beet burrata salad

Menu for Alpine Wines

  • Gruyere Comte Emmentaler Fondue with toasted bread
  • Beet Burrata Salad on spring greens with balsamic and olive oil
  • Mixed Mushroom Delicata Squash Italian Wedding Sausage Risotto
  • Smoked Pork Shoulder Roast with the Taber

2023 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Blauburgunder” Pinot Nero, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

2023 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Blauburgunder” Pinot Nero, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

ABV: 13%
SRP: $25
Grapes: Pinot Nero
Imported by Matchvino

Pinot nero is demanding in the vineyard and the winery, but rewarding at is expresses its alpine character, said Director of Cantina Bozen Matthias Messner. The grapes are grown at a quite high elevation and fermented in stainless steel, then placed in oak barriques

Appearance:  Very pale, very pinotesque, very pretty, cranberry, very pale fuchsia rim

Aroma: Very feminine, sweet caramel, raspberry, cranberry, wild strawberry, very light,

Palate: Very tart bright fruit, tart raspberry, wild strawberry, tart cherry, sandalwood, very light bright and refreshing, watermelon, sage, well crafted, quite enjoyable, great acidity, nice minerals, chamomile,

Pairing: Fondue is quite nice with the wine, the wine marries well with the nutty richness in the cheese. Equally lovely and different with both the white and the wheat bread. Lovely with the risotto, this rich creamy earthen dish is beautiful with the wine. It enhances the bright luscious fruit in the wine, it is also very nice with the beet and burrata salad, it might have been even better if the salad had spicy rocket instead of mixed greens.

2023 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Huck Am Bach” St. Magdalener, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

2023 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Huck Am Bach” St. Magdalener, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

ABV: 13%
SRP: $22
Grapes: Santa Maddalena field blend of schiava and lagrein
Imported by Matchvino

Some rough notes from the ZOOM and need to fact check: This is a field blend of sciava and lagrein from a classic region of Santa Maddalena. Founded n 1923, they just celebrated 100 years as a very small consorzio. The river brings a cold wind. Grown on pergola, ferment in large oak, released just now for Vin Italy. This DOC was first within the Alto Adige DOC Generally about 10% Lagrein is added to the Schiava to give it more color. Pair with speck, Messner suggested; speck is a cured meat that is smoked while parma is dry cured.

Appearance:  Translucent, bright, quite youthful, cranberry, pale fuchsia violet rim,

Aroma: Raspberry, black licorice, fresh bright raspberry, Cyprus, woodsy, violet,

Palate: Tart raspberry tangy and zingy up front. as it progresses across the palate it changes to fresh Santa Rosa plums, then a bit prune on the finish, bold tannins with bright acidity leaving the palate a bit chalky, texturally quite interesting

Pairing: With the fondue the florals in the wine really emerge. The wine loves the tangy nutty richness of the fondue. The cheese becomes a bit less tangy and the rich fruit in the wine is enhanced. They both work together so nicely, this wine really appreciated the beet burrata salad, it loved the rich and creamy of the burrata as well as the earthen beets, very nice with the risotto the rich pork sausages are so delicious with the wine. The risotto is so creamy and rich both the wine and the food compliment each other so nicely.

2022 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Perl” Lagrein, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

2022 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Perl” Lagrein, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

ABV: 13.5%
SRP: $30
Grapes: Lagrein
Imported by Matchvino

Following a warm dry year, the ripe grapes were fermented in stainless than oak barrel, and released one year after harvest, so the 2023 was just released. The name comes from a specific site —Perl.

Appearance:  Very dark and dense, maroon, ruby, the color is so intense that it sticks to the glass, bright violet rim.

Aroma: Cherry, eucalyptus, dusty sage, menthol, chaparral, dry earth, cherry and dry herbs,

Palate: Juicy ripe cherry, big bold tannins dry, leather, suede texture, dried cherry in the way that the fruit is so concentrated, without being sweet, big bold wine, it is quite nice but really yearns for food. Medium bodied.

Pairing: The fondue enhances the cherry fruit in the wine, the wine brings out a lovely sweetness in the cheese. Together they are quite juicy, the fondue tames the tannins in the wine and smooths out the leathery mouthfeel while enhancing the fruit. My palate is so happy with all of this food on my palate, the heaviness of both the wine and the risotto are erased when paired together. With the salad, the sweetness of the beet is enhanced with the wine, the wine is also so mellow and enjoyable with the salad all of the big bold tannins are mellowed, and both the wine and the flavors in the salad are taken to an new level. We talked about how an addition of nastirshum flowers would have been beautiful on the plate and would have added a lovely peppery note that would have further elevated the wine.

2020 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Taber” Lagrein Riserva, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

2020 Kalleri Bozen Cantina di Bolzano “Taber” Lagrein Riserva, Suditerol-Alto Adige DOC

ABV: 14%
SRP: $80
Grapes: Lagrein
Imported by Matchvino

These 80 year old vines grow on warm sandy soils, and offer reduced yields which are fermented in big oak barrels then barrique. They don’t have many really old vines — so learning how long they can last, said Matthias Messner.

Appearance:  Dark and dense, looks like healthy rich blood, the color again sticks to the rim of the glass, ruby/violet rim, even purple.

Aroma: Fresh violets in a shady garden, earthen, moist soil, mineral rich, ferns, plum, red orchard fruit,

Palate: Plum, juicy plum that explodes on the palate, rich and velvety, loamy earth, mulberry, ponderosa pine, butterscotch,

Pairing: Fantastic with the fondue. The wine was a perfect match for the bold rich nutty creamy cheese. The wine and the food were both elevated by the wine. The wine absolutely loved the rich earthy subtly sweet beets in the salad. The sweet earthen beets tamed the tannins and enhances the fruit in the wine, The wine brings out the lovely sweetness of the beets, and the structured lovely quality of the wine is unchanged by the food. The wine is perfect with the risotto, it loves the rich hearty qualities of the dish, the mushroom is almost part and parcel integrated into this wine, the squash is sweet and succulent and a perfect companion to the rich bold characteristics in the wine. All of the flavors in the risotto come together and marry perfectly with the wine. The garlic in the sausage was just beautiful with the wine.

Curious about Alpine wines? Check out these articles from some of my fellow wine writers:

Yes, several of my fellow wine writers were also on the ZOOM with me and Director of Cantina BOZEN Matthias Messner!

Thanks to Susannah Gold of Avvinare for the opportunity to sample these wines and learn more about them! Marshall says thank you, too!

6 thoughts on “From a Country of Contrasts: Pinot Noir, Schiava, Lagrein at Alto Adige’s Cantina di Bolzano plus a Menu for Alpine Wines #ItalianFWT”

  2. I loved the story about your husband asking so many questions as a way to describe the region, its dual nature: Austrian/Italian, their dual languages German/Italian, and all the contrasts in their land. I also loved learning what was hard for someone who doesn’t work in the industry and that he so enjoyed the wine and why. Your pairings and descriptors are always elaborate and I often wish you lived closer so I could invite myself over to partake in the meal. Cheers.

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  3. Great story, pairings, and descriptors for this complex, dual historic region Austrian/Italian, German/Italian. I loved your husband’s musing and your using the conversation to draw out all the information on Kellerei Bozen!

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