Alto Adige Wine Region
Taste the Refreshing Summer Red Wines
Alto Adige is one of two provinces of the Trentino-Alto Adige region, which is the northernmost part of Italy and shares its border with the neighbouring country Austria.
Although Trentino-Alto Adige is called as a single wine region, the two autonomous regions Trentino and Alto Adige are found to be distinguished both historically and culturally.
And yes, what you are thinking is right! The viticulture and viniculture are also differing between these two provinces to a larger extent.
Now, we can see what the wines from Alto Adige wine region look like here…
How is Alto Adige Region Differing from Trentino?
While Trentino has Italian-speaking people as the major population, Alto Adige is predominantly covered with the German-speaking people.
The Alto Adige is locally called as Südtirol by the German-speaking people and is otherwise known as South Tyrol in English.
This major difference between the two provinces is because Alto Adige was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the past.
When we look at the geography, we could understand that the whole Trentino-Alto Adige region is divided near to the perfect with Alto Adige in the northern side and Trentino in the southern side. The region is also divided from west to east by the Adige River.
Vineyards and Winemaking in Alto Adige
The Alto Adige is seen to be a distinctive wine region in Italy, which is not only because of its German-speaking population but also because of the climatic conditions and topography.
The region is experiencing warmer summers and colder winters and we can see that the nights are cooler here even during the hot summers.
Due to these climatic conditions, the region is able to produce more concentrated flavours and finesse in the wine grapes.
The vineyards of Alto Adige are seen to be placed within the Southern Alps and the foothills of Dolomites.
Because of this unique placement of the vineyards, the region is able to produce a wide variety of grape varieties that cannot be seen in other parts of the country.
The vineyards of the region are seen at the heights of 750 to 3,250 feet above the sea level.
Being one of the smallest winegrowing regions in the country, the Alto Adige is representing only 0.7% of the total production in Italy.
When it comes to winemaking, we can see that the region has a long tradition in the history of wine production dating back to the times before the Romans.
The winemaking in Alto Adige is found to be greatly influenced by the Mediterranean Climate which allows a great versatility in the production of wines.
Here, we can see both red and white wines that are made from a wide variety of grape varieties (including some indigenous varieties).
However, as the title suggests, the summer red wines from this region are more special with a refreshing quality.
The Alto Adige is the country’s leader in the wine meriting with 98% of its wines having the DOC designation.
The region is divided into several PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) sub-regions as follows:
- Alto Adige Merano
- Alto Adige Val Venosta
- Alto Adige Oltradige
- Alto Adige Valle Isarco
- Alto Adige Colli di Bolzano DOC
- Alto Adige Santa Maddalena DOC
Other red varieties
- Pinot nerO
- Merlot
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Cabernet Franc
The most common white varieties of Alto Adige
- Pinot Grigio
- Gewürztraminer
- Pinot bianco
- Chardonnay
- Sauvignon
- Müller-Thurgau
- Sylvaner
- Kerner
- Riesling
- Veltliner
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Tharani Rajamanickam
Winewriter
I am Tharani, I have Bachelors degree in Biotechnology. I am passionate about the wine industry and continue to explore, learn and share and I bring in a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help you keep updated with best wines in the world. Stay tuned..
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