Alto Adige DOC

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The cultivation of vines in South Tyrol is an ancient tradition and is one of the pillars of the economic in this area, together with tourism. Alto Adige DOC represents one of the important appellations in Trentino-South Tyrol. It delimits a relatively small but very varied vineyard extension, as it is characterized by heterogeneous conditions of exposure, altitude, microclimate and soil type.

It allows local winemakers to express themselves with a multitude of different and typical wines, better highlighted in the many typologies and subzones of the appellation. The produced wines are distinguished by their strong primary aromas (first of all the Traminer Aromarico, also known in German version Gewürztraminer) and for the distinct freshness.

The territory where Alto Adige DOC is produced is located within the Alpine arc in the province of Bolzano and it is essentially mountainous. For this reason the areas for viticulture are not very extensive and substantially correspond to two large valleys the are crossed by the Adige and Isarco rivers.

In this context, the cultivation of the vine is more developed between 300 and 500 m of altitude, in the flat areas of the valleys or along the surroundings slopes. However, there is an important part of the vineyards that are located on steep slopes and above 500 m of altitude, which have the undoubted advantage of having a more direct and prolonged insolation.

The lands are mainly of two types: sandy in the valley floor, due to the deposits carried by the rivers, and gravelly along the slopes. The latter ones, characterized by poor water retention, force the vines to develop very deep roots to absorb the necessary water.

The climate, which might seem freezing due to the conformation of the territory, actually enjoys the positive influence of the mountains that stops the cold winds coming from the north. Moreover, the Adige Valley guarantees a constant flow of mild are coming from the Po Valley and Garda Lake.