8/6/26 - 

I had the pleasure of meeting Florian Gojer (of Franz Gojer) and Simone Pliger (of Kuenhof) in May and have been not-so-patiently waiting for their wines to land in the US. Also in the Spring, a few bottles from Ignaz Niedrist with its cool alpine fruit sparked the idea to put together a full Alto Adige offer! These three small producers are the leading voices around Bolzano focusing on organic farming and local grapes like Vernatsch, Lagrein and Sylvaner, plus Riesling and Gruner Veltliner which do exceptionally well on the high elevation slopes of the Isarco River Valley. Headed a bit south towards Trento sits Elisabetta Foradori's beautiful, lush estate. Today we have a small restock of her most crushable, chillable red perfect for warm August nights, Lezer 2025. 

Alto Adige is a fascinating region because its total wine production is small, but the various grapes, soil types, elevations, and expositions create incredible diversity of style. Viticulture is also historic around here, stretching all the way back to monks in 700AD. Continue reading below for more info on the estates, or click 'view the wines' to jump straight to the collection where you can take 10% off 6 bottles or 15% off 12 bottles.

-Marisa Licandro

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Franz Gojer's Rosato & Chillable Reds

In the heart of the grand cru zone of Santa Maddalena lives the Franz Gojer estate, now run by Florian representing the fifth generation! Even though Florian is the next owner in his family, the estate and house have existed since the 14th century making it one of the most historic in Bolzano. Their seven hectares of vines are all trained in Pergola on steep hillsides and everything is hand harvested because mechanization is impossible at this grade. It is clear that their choice to operate the harder and more traditional way yields wines of depth and soulfulness! Florian was eager to discuss native grapes like Lagrein and Vernatsch and explain why his corner of Italy is so special where languages, foodways, and wine intermingle with Austria.

2025 Vernatsch Rosato is elegant and lean with fresh squeezed lemon juice and loads of alpine flowers and herbs.  Florian says to drink this super cold with speck or charred fish. Gojer's whole berry fermented 2025 Vernatsch has high-toned crunchy red berries and rose petals up front, with licorice, spice, and light, precise tannins in the finish. 2025 Santa Maddalena Classico has so much depth, red fruits are grounded with woodsy herb notes and oolong tea aromatics. The glacial stone soils of Santa Maddalena, plus the tradition of blending Vernatch and Lagrein make this wine singular. Their most robust wine, 2025 Lagrein Granat, is from vineyards south of Bolzano with alluvial soils. An inky purple color with alpine berries, raspberry, pine sap, iron, silky blue fruit and violets- if you're thinking this sounds a bit like Syrah, you're right! The grapes are related. Although inkier, it is still fresh enough to warrant a slight chill next to grilled meats and game.

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Kuenhof's Electric Whites

Stretching northeast up and away from Bolzano is the cool, breezy Isarco River Valley. Kuenhof grows gorgeous expressions of Gruner Veltliner, Sylvaner, and Riesling using natural and biodynamic practices. The current proprietor, Simone Pliger, says his father, Peter, was one of the first to recognize Riesling's potential in this area. Thanks to him we have a high elevation (850meters!) expression of the 2024 Riesling from a vineyard with slate and quartz phyllite soils. Tingling electric acidity, lime zest, alpine herbs, and a cooling mintiness. It's hard to not compare this to the Mosel River's whips and bends giving incredible opportunity for various elevations, soil types, and expositions.

The 2024 Veltliner is very pretty with open aromatics jumping out of the glass like white peach, green apple, pepper, and delicate florals. The texture is silky and structured enough to offer a few years of aging potential. This grapes are sourced from estate vineyards with south and southeast expositions at 550 to 700 meters. Aging is in a mix of aging in stainless steel and large acacia barrels. Simone describes Sylvaner as the most traditional grape of their Isarco Valley. The 2024 Sylvaner from 40+ year old vines is their most structured, complex, and mineral driven wine, pairing nicely with sushi, aperitivi, and white asparagus according to Simone!

You'll notice these three wines are all from 2024- Simone talked a lot about how this was a great vintage for them! There were challenges with quantity, having to reduce yields by 30% because of early frost, but he says quality was really high due to a cool September pushing harvest later and giving the grapes a chance to develop on the vine. The wines drink really bright and pristine with pure fruit and vibrant energy.

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80-90 year old vines overlooking Lake Caldaro - Photo: ignazniedrist.com

Ignaz Niedrist's Deep Reds

Elizabeth and Ignaz Niedrist are the perfect example of growers who understand that a simple and traditional approach yields wines of complexity and sense of place. Their winery sits just southwest of Bolzano and has existed for 200 years. The vines are spread across twelve hectares situated between 450-650 meters above sea level. Farming with great care, they employ organics, cover crops, only fertilize with compost, and only hand harvest. Today we have two wines, 2024 Kalterersee Classico Superiore is mostly Vernatsch with a touch of Lagrein from 80-90 year old Pergola trained vines. Soils are limestone rich and have a view of Lake Caldaro, a historic place to make wine! Cool alpine fruit meets easy drinkability meets a long energetic finish. On the other end of the spectrum is 2021 Südtiroler Lagrien Gries Riserva, their most structured wine from 100% Lagrein. The vineyard sits in the historic Gries area with layers of sand and gravel. The wine sees 12 months in barrique, further bottle aging, and celebrates the full spectrum of Lagrein with dark berries, earth, mushroom, and the classic brightening alpine acidity. This is the end of the 2021 vintage, only 7 bottles available!

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Please allow until Wednesday 8/12 for pick up or delivery

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