alto adige wine clip summary august 2014 september october 2014

Alto Adige Press Summary September 2014 – October 2014

Alto Adige Wines press coverage between the months of September 2014 and October 2014 garnered a total of 327,660,498 media impressions and 106 total articles. Of these articles, 75 were published online, and 31 were published in print publications. Highlights include James Suckling, where several new vintages from Alto Adige were reviewed; out of all the wines that were reviewed, none scored below 90 points. Elena Walch was featured in several great publications including Forbes.com, which profiled the history of the Elena Walch winery, as well as commended Elena Walch for being a leading female figure in the wine industry. Alyssa Vitrano from Grapefriend published several articles displaying her experience on the press trip to Alto Adige in September. Brian Freedman, who also attended the press trip, shared his experiences on Philadelphia Weekly. Alto Adige was also featured on The Daily Sip as a regional spotlight which gave an overview of the many grape varieties that are grown throughout the region. Steve McIntosh from Winethropology recommended wines from Kellerei Kaltern Caldaro, Elena Walch, St. Michael-Eppan, Tiefenbrunner and Castel Sallegg in his article exploring the diverse wines of Alto Adige.

Date: 9/5/2014 Audience: 116,920 Page Count: 1/7 James Suckling

TASTING REPORT: 70 OUTSTANDINGLY COMPLEX NEW-

RELEASE WHITES FROM FRIULI & MORE ALTO ADIGE

September 5th, 2014




September 5th, 2014

Date: 9/11/2014 Audience: 166,927 Page Count: 1/1 The Daily Sip

Date: 9/22/2014 Audience: 14,543 Page Count: 1/7 Grapefriend.com

Date: 9/27/2014 Audience: 19,198,400 Page Count: 1/2 Forbes.com

Alto Adige and the wonder of hillside wines.

The more I drink wine – no, not the more wine I drink, silly, but the longer I drink wine – and especially the more I think

about the wines I drink, and why I kike ithem, the more I come to appreciate hillside wines.

This is not an original idea. Virgil observed in the 1st century BC that “Vines love an open hill.”

But why should this be?

Elena Walch provides the answer.

Elena, an architect by training, married into the Walch family in 1985 and took over its wine operation in Alto Adige, a

mountainous region of steep valleys in north-east Italy.

“In a flat area the grapes are much larger than on a hillside.” They contain more water, and the flavor is diluted.

It is often said that vines like dry feet, so, as you move up a hillside and the soil becomes poorer with better drainage,

the vines have to dig deep for the necessary water.

“It makes them struggle more so the result is to go very deep in the earth, and get more minerality.”

Hey, we all need water. Even us wine drinkers.

Wine gets much of its flavor from the minerals diluted in the water it absorbs from the soil, hence the deeper the roots,

the more flavorful the wine.

Date: 9/27/2014 Audience: 19,198,400 Page Count: 2/2 Forbes.com

During the last ice age glaciers carried mineral-rich rocks down from the Dolomite Mountains to the north. Today they

are no longer on the surface, so when the vines put down deep roots in search of that all-important water, they tap into

this mineral sub-soil.

The result is fewer, smaller, more flavorful berries on the vine, and smaller quantities of better wine.

So a tip of the cappello to Elena Walch and her lovely, hillside wines:

Elena Walch Pinot Bianco, Alto Adige 2013 ($15)

Clean, crisp, pure and simple.

Elena Walch, Pinot Grigio, Castel Ringberg 2012 ($22)

Dry, crisp, flinty, from a single vineyard on a steep slope. Too young, will be super in 2-3 years.

Elena Walch Sauvignon Blanc Castel Ringberg 2012($25)

Another single vineyard effort. Intensely aromatic, good with strongly-flavored food, still needs 2-3 years.

Elena Walch Gewurztraminer Kastelaz 2012 ($32)

Delightfully light, floral, bone dry. Very different from Alsace Gewurz which are heavier and sweeter, these mountain

wines are lighter, very age-worthy, redolent of rose petals, lychees & rosemary. Fabulous!

Date: 9/27/2014 Audience: 14,543 Page Count: 1/15 Grapefriend

Had such a fantastic time in Alto Adige. Most of the wineries aren’t very far from the town of Bolzano, so it’s easy to

travel around and see lots of things.

see

The Dolomites – we drove to Val Gardena and took two gondolas up the mountains. Then you can hike around to lots

of little cabin restaurants. We had Bombardino shots at one, and then ate at Sofie Hutte where they plied us with so

much food and then sent of off with speck and homemade jam. Just amazing.

http://www.seceda.com/eng/index.html




Abbazia di Novacella is a monastery that was founded in 1142. It also happens to be a vineyard with excellent wine, but

you can spend a few hours there wandering around the grounds. There’s a museum, library, church, and an outdoor

cafe to eat and drink their great Kerner.

http://www.kloster-neustift.it/en/order-convent.html





The food market is Bolzano is awesome – tons of carts that sell millions of things, evey one of which you’ll want to put

in your mouth!

Grapefriend

Otzi the Iceman – if you have a few minutes in the town of Bolzano, check out Europe’s oldest known natural human

mummy who apparently lived around 3300 BC (though was just discovered in the Alps in 1991) at the small museum.

eat

In the town of Bolzano, Birreria Forst had an incredible speck plate and great homemade beers.

Date: 9/27/2014 Audience: 14,543 Page Count: 6/15

http://www.iceman.it/

http://www.forsterbrau.it/_/Forsterbraubolzano/




Grapefriend

Vogele is right by Forst and updates traditional Tyrolean fare, like this insanely good white wine soup in an edible bread

bowl (paired with Castelfeder Pinot Bianco).

http://grapefriend.com/2014/09/27/grape-passport-what-to-do-in-alto-adige/volgele.it


Grapefriend

We mostly ate a ton of little rustic places up in the mountains though. Beware that they require a lot of winding driving

to get to them, so when you’re coming home at night you won’t want to have had a lot of wine.

Patscheiderhof – just adorable and has a great view of the valley below. Awesome traditional food like these amazing

dumplings (beet, spinach, and plain).

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1493734-d2370583-Reviews-Patscheiderhof-South_Tyrol_Province_Trentino_Alto_Adige.html


Grapefriend

Oberpartegger has totally traditional fare, and scads of it. They make most of the stuff on premises, so definitely check

out the basement where the guy makes the speck, bread, sausage, and grappa!

http://www.oberpartegger.com/it/


Grapefriend

In Terlano, we ate at Patauner and had the best gnocchi with pumpkin, leeks, and smoked ricotta – YUM!

http://www.ristorantepatauner.it/


Grapefriend

drink

At Tiefenbrunner, you can have some of their great Pinot Noir in the little outdoor garden.

Elena Walch makes that fantastic Lagrein I told you about, and you can drink it with some snacks on the grass. You

can also see their custom-made barrels, dating backs decades, with scenes form the history of the winery.


Grapefriend

Colterenzio, a co-operative founded by 28 vintners in 1960. And, there’s a mirrored grapefriend logo on the building!

http://www.colterenzio.it/en/home.html


Grapefriend

Cantina Terlano is in the adorable town of Terlano and has great aged wines.

http://www.cantina-terlano.com/en/

http://www.cantina-terlano.com/en/


Grapefriend

Nals Margreid – best Schiava I had, plus great views from the roof.

http://www.kellerei.it/




Grapefriend

sleep

We stayed at the Parkhotel Laurin which was lovely and had incredible speck and muesli at the breakfast buffet. I also

heard the Stadt Hotel Citta was good by someone who stayed there, so that could be another option. Both are right in

town and great bases for your explorations in the area.

Enjoy!

http://grapefriend.com/2014/09/27/grape-passport-what-to-do-in-alto-adige/www.laurin.it/en/



http://grapefriend.com/2014/09/27/grape-passport-what-to-do-in-alto-adige/www.hotelcitta.info/




Date: 10/1/2014 Print Audience: 944,191 Online Audience: 4,240,863 Page Count: 1/2

Food & Wine

Date: 10/1/2014 Print Audience: 944,191 Online Audience: 4,240,863 Page Count: 2/2

Food & Wine

Date: 10/1/2014 Print Audience: 100,326 Online Audience: 136,871 Page Count: 1/1 Philadelphia Weekly

I just returned from a week of pork dumplings, sauerkraut and some of the best apple strudel I’ve ever had the good

fortune of devouring, much of it paired with the sort of crisp white wines that immediately bring to mind more teutonic

climes. But I wasn’t in Germany or Austria. I was in Italy, in a region that wine lovers are growing ever more in love

with: Alto Adige.

In the world of wine, there are certain regions that strike the collective fancy of sommeliers, journalists, importers and

other professionals. Alto Adige is absolutely one of those places right now. Tucked into a part of Italy that was actually

part of Austria-Hungary until early in the 20th century, this beautiful wine region, while relatively small in terms of the

amount of land under vine, is having a significant impact on serious American wine lists. After tasting there for a week,

it’s easy to see why.

As Americans have increasingly grown away from over-oaked, overripe white wines and ever more fond of crisp,

somewhat aromatic ones, Alto Adige is custom made for our evolving preferences: vivid whites wines produced from

grape varieties like Pinot Bianco; aromatic ones from spicy, perfumed Gewürztraminer; expressive Chardonnays;

smoky Sauvignon Blancs; age-worthy Pinot Grigio and more.

As for Pinot Grigio, many of the options we have in the states are in the sort of insipid, bulk-produced style that for a

long time, no self-respecting wine professional would really consider. But things are changing, and nowhere more so

than in Alto Adige, where they are taken very seriously. Every day there, it seemed, I tasted Pinot Grigios that made me

completely rethink everything I assumed I knew about the grape. I even purchased a few, from standout producer Nals

Margreid, to age for several years in my wine fridge. If you see any here, snap up several bottles: They’re great.

The reds, too, are delicious. Elegant Pinot Nero; tannic, rich Lagrein; lovely Merlot; gulpable Schiava: These and

others, I predict, will start to make their way onto more local wine lists. If you happen to be at a restaurant and the

sommelier recommends any of these from Alto Adige—or if you see a label with Südtirol on it—follow their advice. Look

for top names like Tiefenbrunner, Elena Walch, Colterenzio, Caldaro, Terlano, Nals Margreid and Abbazia di Novacella,

among others.

You’ll be in for a treat, I promise.


Winethropology

Last fall a batch of sample bottlings from this northern Italian region arrived for review. They impressed well enough,

but in retrospect were merely a warm up for this year's array.

The diversity of wines coming from this foothill area is impressive. Reds and whites alike are striking for their clarity

and freshness, with al dente acidity a common thread across all varieties. What's even more attractive about these

wines is that they represent a categorical value. As we head into autumn, the smart wine shopper will dispense with

preconceptions and explore the vast drinking pleasures of Sudtirol.

Editorial preference leans toward the Schiava and Pinot Grigio. Yes, really.

http://www.winethropology.com/2013/11/sudtirol-aka-alto-adige.html


Winethropology

2013 Kellerei Kaltern Campaner Vernatsch Schiava $12

Gorgeous and luminous in the glass with a light red color that refracts like a precious stone. Similarly fleet-footed in the

mouth, but packing multiple (pleasurable) dimensions of flavor and acidity. An attention-getting experience made all the

more repeatable with its modest (12.5%) alcohol. Must. Find. More. Soon. Outstanding value!

2009 Elena Walch Lagrein Riserva 'Castel Ringberg' $36

So, this is why people swoon when talking about this grape. Occupying a panoramic range

of flavors and aromatics, this wine delivers a dizzying kaleidoscope in full-blown

Technicolor. While light on its feet, it has the acidity and profundity of a much bolder wine.

2012 St Michael-Eppan Sauvignon Blanc 'Lahn' $18

Energetic and nearly vibrating with fresh grass cut flavors. Lean and with a strong acidic

thread to keep it clean and sharp. Brilliant wine.

2012 Tiefenbrunner Turmhauf Pinot Blanc 'Anna' $15

More sharp and crisp. Focused, lean, and reflective of higher altitude provenance. That said,

it is not without varietally correct fruit character. Definitely one to accompany a meal to offset

its edges, rather than a front porch quaffer. One would think this wine had even more vigor

when slightly younger. Another smoking value.

2013 Castel Sallegg Pinot Grigio Pulvernal' $15

Want to know what Pinot Grigio is really capable of? You've got to go to mountainside

vineyards lined with gravely stone. Though the nose on this is initially off-putting, the palate

more than makes up for it. Lacy acids lead the attack, then ease into the background while a

welcoming, round fruit core takes center stage. The lingering floral aromatic after taste

makes this wine a complete package. Equally at home as an aperitif or seafood pasta

accompaniment. Definitely not the Ladies' Book Club PG. I really like drinking this wine.

alto adige wine clip summary august 2014 september october 2014

Documents

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alto adige wines

diverse wines of alto

alto adige press summary

james suckling tasting

daily sip date

complex newrelease whites

new vintages