Pinot Blanc
With an elegant scent of apples and lively acidity, it is the perfect everyday wine. In order to get the finesse of the Pinot Blanc fruitiness right into the bottle without adulteration, winemakers make sparing use of oak barrels with this variety.
Recommended pairings: light appetizers, fish, Knödel (Tyrolean dumpling dishes).
Sauvignon Blanc
In Alto Adige/Südtirol, Sauvignon Blanc demonstrates its typical spectrum of aromas, which ranges from nettles and gooseberries over elder and cassis to citrus fruits. Both crisp, fresh wines and those with a marked intensity are made.
Recommended pairings: asparagus, grilled vegetables, fish, goat cheese.
Gewürztraminer
Thanks to its sumptuous spectrum of scents and its luxuriant texture, Gewürztraminer is absolutely regarded as a wine for meditation. Fortunately, because of their well-balanced, juicy acidity, these wines are easy to drink, due in no small part to the fact that this variety is often planted at higher elevations.
Recommended pairings: when dry: as an aperitif, with Asian dishes, or shellfish; with residual sugar: with foie gras and pâtés;as a dessert wine: with cheese and desserts.
Chardonnay
In Alto Adige/Südtirol, Chardonnay expresses its classic qualities. It can range from the fresh, fruity, linear qualities of the stainless steel tank versions to the complex selections suitable for aging, which are fermented in small oak casks and allowed to mature on fine yeast.
Recommended pairings: seafood, light meats, risotto.
Pinot Grigio
The spectrum of Alto Adige Pinot Grigio ranges from slim, fresh representatives in the Val Venosta to wines with a certain mineral quality in the Adige Valley to the glowing, substantial vintages in Bolzano and the Oltradige. The wines take on an added impressiveness when aged in small oak casks.
Recommended pairings: strong-flavored fish dishes, Alto Adige specialties.
Riesling
In contrast to the well-known version from Germany, Alto Adige Riesling is for the most part completely fermented, leaving little or no residual sugar. Especially in the cooler regions of the Isarco Valley and the Val Venosta, Rieslings emerge with fine peach and citrus aromas and a lively acidity.
Recommended pairings: oysters, other shellfish, Asian dishes, appetizers.
Sylvaner
Sylvaner is the great specialty of the Isarco Valley. At these locations, the variety develops both sufficient body and a robust acidity. An earthy, mineral scent is typical of Sylvaner, accompanied by aromas of fresh herbs or hay.
Recommended pairings: appetizers, speck (Tyrolean farmer‘s bacon), asparagus, fish.
Veltliner
Cultivation is concentrated in the Isarco Valley. While it is used to be known as a tangy table wine, restricted yields and new winery techniques have developed it into a softly spicy specialty.
Recommended pairings: cheese, speck, light appetizers, baked fish.
Kerner
Thanks to its resistance to frost, the hybrid of Trollinger and Riesling, is planted above all at the higher elevations of the Isarco Valley and the Val Venosta. This grape produces sleek, spicy wines with a slight hint of nutmeg.
Recommended pairings: appetizers, grilled fish, vegetable terrines.
Müller-Thurgau
This grape produces lively, aromatic white wines that are always typical representatives of their terroir. Müller-Thurgau grows as far as Alto Adige’s highest vineyards: over 1,000 m. (3,280 ft.) above sea level. These high altitude wines prove themselves with their crisp freshness and crystal-clear structure.
Recommended pairings: light appetizers, baked freshwater fish, soft cheeses.
Moscato Giallo
This grape is grown primarily in warm areas of the Adige Valley between Salorno and Merano, and produces for the most part noble dessert wines. When fully fermented as a dry wine, Moscato Giallo is fascinating with its scent of cloves and its gorgeous freshness.
Recommended pairings: as an aperitif, with desserts or ripe blue cheeses.
