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| by
David Lynch, Wine Director
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| THIS
MONTH: ALTO ADIGE
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So named for the
Adige River, which courses down from the Alps and through its
capital city, Bolzano, the Alto Adige doesn’t appear on the
surface to be very Italian. Street signs and menus are often
in German. The architecture is ornate Austrian jügendstil. The
clothes and the landscapes often look like something out of
"The Sound of Music." Known as the Südtirol (south Tyrol) in
German, Alto Adige is politically linked to neighboring Trentino
to the south (thus the hyphenated name Trentino-Alto Adige),
but the border between the two regions is like a cultural line
in the sand: The town of Magré, in the southern part of the
Alto Adige, is said to be the southern-most German-speaking
village in Europe; just a few miles further south, in the Trentino
village of Mezzacorona, the language shifts almost jarringly
to Italian.
Once a part of the Austrian state of Tyrol, the Alto Adige --
consisting of only one province, that of Bolzano -- was ceded
to Italy after World War I. It is a striking mountain setting,
with the Dolomites and Alps providing a snow-capped backdrop
to vineyards that rise sharply from the banks of the Adige and
its tributary, the Isarco. Like nearby Friuli, this region was
originally thought of as a red wine zone, as it is relatively
warm as compared to vineyards in Germany and Austria. Yet while
there are excellent red wines produced in the zone, particularly
from the local lagrein grape, the real story of the Alto Adige
is its treasure trove of clean, perfumed, well-structured whites.
The vineyards here reflect the heavy French and Austro-Hungarian
influence felt throughout northeastern Italy -- there’s lots
of pinot blanc (here pinot bianco) and pinot gris (grigio),
along with other so-called "French" varieties such as chardonnay
and sauvignon blanc. Then there are more exotic Germanic varieties
such as sylvaner, riesling, and gewürztraminer, which may have
originated in the Alto Adige village of Tramin.
One thing that makes things easier is that pretty much all Alto
Adige wines are grouped under the single "Alto Adige" geographic
designation, and are then further identified by grape variety.
This "varietal" labeling (also practiced in Friuli-Venezia Giulia)
makes the wines easier for Americans to grasp and, it should
be noted, the whites in particular are surely some of the most
serious in Italy. Vines are planted in high-altitude sites in
well-drained, gravelly/rocky soils, with cooling mountain breezes
sweeping in each night to refresh the vines -- preserving acidity
and aroma and allowing for longer hang time to develop more
concentrated and complex flavors. Alto Adige whites are characterized
by their penetrating aromas and lean yet firm structures --
they are typically cleaner, often un-oaked wines that nevertheless
can pack a powerful punch.
At the same time, Alto Adige can be well-suited to reds, especially
in lower-lying vineyards near the river around Bolzano. Not
only do the gravelly soils collect heat to help later-ripening
red grapes mature, but each afternoon a warm breeze off of Lake
Garda (known as the ora) moderates the climate. In fact, Bolzano
-- which sits in a sort of basin at the crux of the Adige and
Isarco rivers -- can be one of Italy’s hottest cities during
the summer.
Here are two standout Alto Adige wines from our list:
Colterenzio Alto Adige Pinot Bianco "Weisshauss" 2001
This wine, from a standout cooperative winery, is a powerful
expression of pinot bianco, with a small percentage of the wine
fermented in oak barrels (the majority of the wine is fermented
in stainless steel). The ripeness of the vintage, along with
the well-integrated oak influence, gives this wine a creamy
texture that makes it a nice accompaniment to pastas such as
our Goat Cheese Tortelloni.
Muri Gries Alto Adige Lagrein Dunkel "Muri" 2000
The lagrein grape is one of my "pet" varieties. It is unique
to the Alto Adige, and its flavor is unlike any other: think
of cabernet franc on steroids. This excellent example from a
monastic winery near Bolzano is packed with ripe black fruit
flavors, along with a savory, tarry, almost meaty edge that
is a trademark of lagrein. A great value and a great choice
for our Barbecued Skirt Steak.
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To
purchase any of these wines, visit
Italian Wine Merchants online or in
New York City, just off Union Square! |
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