Südtirol • Alto Adige
FEBRUARY 2025
The foil on the top of your bottles says it all: Südtirol. That's the Austrian name for Alto Adige, and it symbolizes the bi-lingual, bi-cultural heritage of this northernmost region in Italy. A part of Austria until the end of WWI, Alto Adige still has strong connections with its Austrian history. Almost 60% of the households speak German as their mother tongue. Local villages celebrate their local festivals with oompah bands and participants in lederhosen and dirndls eating knödel and drinking beer. The architecture looks Tyrolian (half-timbered houses with geraniums in the windows). Really, you could easily think you're in Austria. And then the locals flip into Italian, and you're reminded of the fun complexities of this semi-autonomous region of northern Italy.
Südtirol•Alto Adige is in the Alps. The vineyards are at higher altitudes (terraced up the hillsides, flatter in the Adige River Valley), and they grow traditionally cold-climate grapes like Pinot Noir. They are famous for their minerally Pinot Grigio. As well, they grow indigenous red grapes like Vernatsch (German) / Schiava (Italian) and Lagrein. Your club shows off a classic Pinot Grigio and a Vernatsch/Lagrein blend. We have never showcased wines from Alto Adige in this everyday club, but now with a little more wiggle room on price, we can. Hope you enjoy them. Julie & I are big fans!
Tradition of Co-ops
Both of your club wines come from co-ops.
Kellerei Schreckbichl / Cantina Colterenzo (notice the German name is listed first on the bottle) began in 1960, when 26 local growers formed a cooperative. Today, 300 member families tend their vineyards according to strict growing rules, and then the wines are made at a collective facility, giving them economies of scale and a product that's delicious and more competitively priced than estate produced wines.
Schreckbichl / Colterenzio is a small area outside of Cornaiano (one of the oldest and most famous villages in Südtirol), located about 15 min southwest of Bolzano/Bozen, with a tradition of winemaking dating back to the 1200's.
San Pietro is also produced by a local co-op that grows Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco (Weissburgunder), Pinot Nero, and Schiava (Vernatsch). The vineyards are all in the Bolanzo area and are located at elevations of 220-600 meters above sea level. The vineyards are tended according to a sustainable farming pact.
San Pietro 2022 Pinot Grigio
Alto Adige / Südtirol, Italy • Reg $15.99 | Mixed Case $11.99
100% Pinot Grigio. Stone fruits, lots of apple pear. Pretty big for the money. Citrus on the finish with a note of almond & minerals. Enjoy with richer Tyrolian fare (pictured), fish dinners, mushroom ragu on pasta. Drink now to 1 year.
Kellerei Schreckbichl / Cantina Colterenzio 2022 St. Magdalener
Südtirol / Alto Adige, Italy • Reg $21.99 | WINE CLUB $18.99 | Mixed Case $15.19
95% Schiava (Vernatsch), 5% Lagrein. Transluscent in color. Medium- to lighter in body. Full of forest berries, black cherries with an earthy depth on the finish. Drink now to 2 years. The co-op suggests serving this wine with speck & salumi, pork dishes, roasted chicken, local fish dishes, pizza!
A Note from Jens:
That's us (pictured above) visiting Alto Adige in 2013. Absolutely amazing place. Fortress ruins around every mountainous bend in the river. Delicious food & wine. Lovely hospitality. Hope you enjoy the wines as much as we do!
Your wine club pick-up tasting is always the 2nd Saturday of the month, so this month it’s February 8. Hope you can make it. The wines are great & you'll be able to taste the FLAGSHIP club wines as well – 2 reds (Nebbiolo & Barbera) & 1 white (Gavi) from Piedmont, northwest Italy (also near the Alps).
Cheers,
Jens Strecker, Owner
Portalis Wine Shop
If you are here because you’re curious about our wine clubs: Here’s more general info & online signup> You can also peruse the last 12 months of both clubs to get a feel for the themes we pick and the wines we showcase: Portalis EXPLORES (our everyday wine club) & Portalis FLAGSHIP (our signature club).