Northern Italy spotlight: Alto Adige
Alto Adige—literally “upper Adige,” named after the Adige River that flows through the region—is one of the northernmost and highest altitude regions in Italy. While the average person might think of Italian wine as bold, robust, hot-climate fare, the wines of Alto Adige are closer to German and Austrian wines in style: delicate, acidic, and with relatively low alcohol.
Winter brings snow to the vineyards. Image source: Vini Alto Adige/Tiberio Sorvillo.
The holidays might be a great time to try some lighter, cooler-climate wines, especially if you’re tired of grandma’s Tawny Port or your cousin’s favorite jug wine. Heavy, fatty food calls for refreshing wines, and Alto Adige’s fit the bill nicely.
Where is Alto Adige?
Alto Adige sits on the border Italy shares with Austria and Switzerland to the south of the Alps and Dolomites. These mountains create a rain shadow—in other words, since Alto Adige is on the side of the mountain that faces away from cold, rainy prevailing winds, the mountain forms a protective shield, causing the region to experience comparatively warmer and sunnier weather. Nearby Lake Garda also helps to regulate vineyard temperatures, storing heat during the summer and letting it out during colder months.
What’s grown in Alto Adige?
Alto Adige’s mild climate and large variation in elevation means that late-ripening varieties that require higher temperatures (looking at you, Cabernet) can thrive in warmer, lower-lying areas, while at higher, cooler elevations, varieties that need cold weather to retain their aromatics (*cough* Riesling *cough*) find their place. Large diurnal shifts—in other words, big swings between day and night temperatures—mean that grapes can ripen nicely while retaining their acidity.
For these reasons, Alto Adige is home to a great number of grapes, both native and international. White varieties of Alto Adige include native Alpine varieties like Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Müller-Thurgau, Sylvaner, Kerner, and Veltliner as well as international varieties like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc. Reds include the indigenous Schiava and Lagrein and international grapes like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir.
A view of Lake Caldaro from Oltradige. Image source: Vini Alto Adige/Florian Andergassen.
Wine to try from Alto Adige
With so much variety, what to try first? I recommend starting with a wine that allows the region to show its ability to ripen grapes to their full intensity, yet retain the acidity and aromatics that make Alpine wines famous.
Cantina Tramin’s 2020 Alto Adige DOC “Stoan,” a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Blanc, is grown at nearly 2000 feet above sea level. Warmed by intense sunlight on southeast-facing slopes and cooled by elevation and frosty downwinds, this refreshing-yet-intense white wine perfectly illustrates the dividing line between Alpine and Mediterranean climates.
Expect intense floral, herbaceous, and stone fruit flavors—the Gewürztraminer, in particular, really comes through despite making up only a small amount of the blend. It’s aged in large oak barrels with lees contact, rounding out its bright acidity and adding creamy dairy and toast notes. You’ll find it for about $33. Keep it near your plate and let your cousin drink his jug wine.
Next in this series: Lugana, a Lombardy subregion on the banks of Lake Garda.
