Schiava (Vernatsch)
The Schiava grape produces a light, everyday wine, low in tannins, with moderate alcohol content. With only a few exceptions, it is produced in nearly every winegrowing zones. Yet depending upon the location and the winemaker, the wines show a thoroughly individual character.
Recommended pairings: in general with all appetizers, especially with speck, cold cuts, cheeses, traditional Alto Adige home cooking, veal.
Pinot Noir
Alto Adige Pinot Noirs have a rich and intense scent of dark berries, spice, and violets. According to Italy’s top wine guides, the best Pinot Noirs south of the Alps come from Alto Adige/Südtirol.
Recommended pairings: game, wild fowl, spring lamb, rabbit, aged cheeses.
Lagrein
Aromas of berries, fresh cherries, and violets; on the palate, a velvety body and mild acidity: Lagrein provides Alto Adige producers with the chance to make an exclusively local, superior wine whose flavor profile still fits right in with international trends.
Recommended pairings: game, dark meats, aged cheeses.
Merlot
Merlot is cultivated primarily in warm locations on deep, chalky soils. Since it ripens earlier than Cabernet, it yields wines with a southern charm and soft, ripe tannins. Since 1995, the planted area in the province has more than tripled.
Recommended pairings: game, wild fowl, classic meat dishes, aged cheeses.
Cabernet
Up until the 1970s, Alto Adige Cabernet was considered to be characterized by a greenish tone in flavor. But thanks to consistent reductions in yields, today the variety more frequently develops notes of ripe berries. With its dense structure, Cabernet is among the red wines in Alto Adige/Südtirol with the greatest capacity for cellaring.
Recommended pairings: wild fowl, lamb, classic meat dishes, aged cheeses.
Moscato Rosa
The aromatic, complex Moscato Rosa dessert wines are a specialty that is very much in demand. The variety is temperamental to grow and produces only minimal yields of naturally sweet grapes that are fermented with the standard red wine process.
Recommended pairings: desserts with strawberries or chocolate, crêpes, poppy seed pastries.
