Episode 287 - Alto Adige’s defining grapes

Alto Adige is a wine-growing region since, uh, more than 2,500 years.

Um, nowadays we have, um, 5,800 hectares of, uh, wine here in the region, and, um, we are working with more than 20 varieties.

So these 20 varieties, uh, are allowed in our DOC regulation, and we grow, um, the wine from 200 to 1,000 meters above the sea level.

And we have a very complex geology, and this is also a reason why we have so many varieties.

It's extraordinarily mountainous in that when you drive around, it's very easy to lose the direction that you're traveling in because you're winding in different directions.

It's just a very complicated, detailed geology of valleys, isn't it?

Yeah, um, no, that's very true.

So, um, we have so many, um, valleys, uh, and, um, so many different possibilities and exposures, uh, where we can grow our, um, our wines.

So, um, everything is done, uh, manually, so, um, yeah, it's a lot of hand work and on steep slopes.

And if, um, if our slopes are too steep, we have to, uh, make terraces.

And, uh, yeah, and, uh, I think the wine is, um, part of our DNA, and, uh, we, we have, yeah, a great, um, pleasure to, to do what we do.

Mm, absolutely.

And you have approximately 20 grape varieties that do very well in this region, and so we could have, um, a, a 10-hour podcast if we weren't careful talking about all of those varieties.

It's both a wonderful thing for you and also a challenge in marketing terms because some regions only have one grape variety or two grape varieties, one red, one white.

You have 20 to deal with.

So, um, I have decided to focus this edition of the podcast on two varieties that really excite me here.

One is Pinot Bianco, also known as Pinot Blanc, also known as Weissburgunder, and the other is Schiava.

And the reason I've chosen them is because, uh, when I've been here before, they have both stood out to me as incredibly, uh, distinctive wines.

Um, first of all, what do you think of my choices selecting those two?

I, I have to say this is a very good choice.

So, uh, what is it that makes Pinot Bianco, uh, so distinctive here?

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, first of all, uh, Pinot Bianco is a variety we are growing, um, here around, um, 175 years.

So we have, um, from a historic point of view, it goes, uh, back to, um, Archduke, Erz- Erzherzog Johann, Giovanni.

And in, um, in the, in the 19th century, 1852, he started to, um, cultivate in our area Burgundian, uh, and Bordeaux variety, and Riesling as well.

Alto Adige is a wine-growing region since, uh, more than 2,500 years.

Um, nowadays we have, um, 5,800 hectares of, uh, wine here in the region, and, um, we are working with more than 20 varieties.

So these 20 varieties, uh, are allowed in our DOC regulation, and we grow, um, the wine from 200 to 1,000 meters above the sea level.

And we have a very complex geology, and this is also a reason why we have so many varieties.

It's extraordinarily mountainous in that when you drive around, it's very easy to lose the direction that you're traveling in because you're winding in different directions.

It's just a very complicated, detailed geology of valleys, isn't it?

Yeah, um, no, that's very true.

So, um, we have so many, um, valleys, uh, and, um, so many different possibilities and exposures, uh, where we can grow our, um, our wines.

So, um, everything is done, uh, manually, so, um, yeah, it's a lot of hand work and on steep slopes.

And if, um, if our slopes are too steep, we have to, uh, make terraces.

And, uh, yeah, and, uh, I think the wine is, um, part of our DNA, and, uh, we, we have, yeah, a great, um, pleasure to, to do what we do.

Mm, absolutely.

And you have approximately 20 grape varieties that do very well in this region, and so we could have, um, a, a 10-hour podcast if we weren't careful talking about all of those varieties.

It's both a wonderful thing for you and also a challenge in marketing terms because some regions only have one grape variety or two grape varieties, one red, one white.

You have 20 to deal with.

So, um, I have decided to focus this edition of the podcast on two varieties that really excite me here.

One is Pinot Bianco, also known as Pinot Blanc, also known as Weissburgunder, and the other is Schiava.

And the reason I've chosen them is because, uh, when I've been here before, they have both stood out to me as incredibly, uh, distinctive wines.

Um, first of all, what do you think of my choices selecting those two?

I, I have to say this is a very good choice.

So, uh, what is it that makes Pinot Bianco, uh, so distinctive here?

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, first of all, uh, Pinot Bianco is a variety we are growing, um, here around, um, 175 years.

So we have, um, from a historic point of view, it goes, uh, back to, um, Archduke, Erz- Erzherzog Johann, Giovanni.

And in, um, in the, in the 19th century, 1852, he started to, um, cultivate in our area Burgundian, uh, and Bordeaux variety, and Riesling as well.