One of my first virtual wine adventures was to the Alto Adige region of Italy, a cultural crossroads nestled in the Dolomite Mountains between Italy and Austria. It was back in 2017, when I joined the Italian Food, Wine and Travel Group for an exploration of the region’s unique culinary traditions. I was dazzled!

The Alto Adige or Südtirol brings together the cultures of both Italy and Austria: a place where street signs are posted in both Italian and German, and traditional dishes are fluent in both. A recent episode of Tucci in Italy focused on the area’s Ladin culture, an ancient one whose roots date to Roman times and whose native language has been linked to Swiss-Romansch and Friulian. The history of this region is long, deep, and fascinating.

Kellerei Bozen: Born of Two Cooperatives in a Time of War, Fascism, and Limited Opportunities

The cooperative, as it exists today, grew out of two independent winemaking communities with different objectives, founded more than 20 years apart. In 1908, vintners in the town of Gries formed a cooperative focused on the production and sale of high-quality wine made from Lagrein, a native red variety.

In 1930, 18 growers in Santa Maddalena faced a dual challenge to their nascent business: the worldwide economic downturn and the nationalist government’s oppression of German-speaking citizens of the region. And that was before the onset of World War II, during which Allied bombs destroyed the nearby railway station in Bolzano.

“Passion Unites”

As both groups pondered their futures, they agreed that there was strength in numbers: in 1944 and 1945, Cantina Santa Maddalena and Cantina Gries produced their first wines together, in Gries. The cantinas officially joined forces in 2001, when they merged into a single business – Kellerei Bozen.

Today, a thoroughly modern winemaking facility represents the long history of both cooperatives – before and after their union. Construction began in October of 2016, in the San Maurizio district outside of Bolzano. Kellerei Bozen now represents 224 members with a total of 350 hectares under vine.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

The unifying premise of the 224 member growers is producing wines of consistently high quality. But that’s easier said than done, especially when everything, from grape variety and soil type to microclimate and elevation, varies dramatically from one estate to another.

Grapes grow in every type of terrain, from the valley floor to the highest slopes of Valle Isarco and Valle Venosta (about 850 meters above sea level.) Eighty percent of the members grow grapes exclusively, and have done so for generations, resulting in wines with a resounding sense of place.

Juggling everything is Philipp Plattner, the cooperative’s elected president. He chairs the board of directors, serves as the voice of the members, and ensures that the cooperative’s rules consider the strong identification each member-grower has with their land. It’s a place where each voice carries weight, ensuring that the wines bearing the Kellerei Bozen label truly represent the history, dedication, and quality so carefully preserved by the families.

When it comes to winemaking, each grower is an expert in the climate, soils, and meteorological conditions affecting their plots. Chief Enologist Stephan Filippi works closely with each of them, consulting on issues in the vineyard such as choosing optimal harvest dates or, in the cellar, discussing options for fermentation and aging of the wines.

Since 1988, a smaller cohort (83 growers farming 118 hectares) has participated in the cooperative’s Progetto Qualità, an initiative focused on achieving strict quality standards in specific vineyards. Yields in these plots are restricted to 70 hl/ha (40 hl/ha for Riserva wines) with specifications on vine age, elevation, aspect, and soil composition.

Building a Sustainable Future

In 2018, Kellerei Bozen unveiled its new headquarters, a symbol of modernity and sustainability in this traditional winemaking region. Most of the structure is underground, where temperatures are naturally cooler, eliminating the need for air conditioners. Other power needs are served by renewable sources such as solar panels and heat pumps.

When grapes arrive at the winery they enter a gravity-flow process that is entirely automated. Grapes, musts and, ultimately, wine slide from one level to the next, ending at the fifth and final floor. The best wines, or “crus” have a separate processing zone within the winery.

Kellerei Bozen’s facility is the first cooperative winery to be certified by CasaClimaWine and has also been awarded a certificate of sustainability from Ökoinstitut Alto Adige.

Tasting the Wines of Kellerei Bozen with General Director Matthias Messner

I recently had the great pleasure of learning about Kellerei Bozen and tasting four of the white wines produced there. Our guide was none other than Matthias Messner, General Director of the cooperative, who is responsible for setting the global sales strategy and developing the brand’s identity in international markets. He is the face of the 224 family winegrowers and voice of the cooperative around the world. Plus, he’s a pretty good ambassador for the wines of Alto Adige!

Matthias walked us through four wines representing the incredible range of grape varieties, altitudes, soils, and flavor profiles typical of Alto Adige:

2024 Puntscheit Kerner (14% abv; ~$25 retail)

Messner explained that Kerner loves the colder climate of the upper slopes, growing best in the zone between 550 – 800 meters above sea level (Valle Isarco; Valle Venosta). Good thing it’s a frost-resistant variety! Kerner’s parent grapes, Schiava and Riesling, were purposely selected because they each brought an important quality to the cross: Schiava is prodigious, capable of producing ample yields in a marginal climate. Riesling, on the other hand, is known for the high quality of its fruit, thriving in temperatures that might inhibit other varieties from full ripening. Messner called Kerner “an ideal mountain white wine,” mentioning that one of his favorite pairings is an artichoke, pear, and Pecorino salad. Sounds heavenly to me!

Kerner Tasting Notes and Pairing

The first word I wrote in my notebook was, “Gorgeous!”

The Puntscheit Kerner is pale lemon-green, with aromas that practically burst from the glass. Nary a swirl was required as I basked in the scent of acacia flowers, fresh orange zest, lemon, pineapple, and ripe yellow apple. There were subtle leesy notes as well.

On the palate, there’s high acidity, which provides the perfect counterbalance to the ripe tropical and citrus flavors. After some time in the glass, I noticed white currant, peaches, apricot, and orange peel. This wine is rather full-bodied, with a complex texture. Yet it remains light on its feet, dancing across the palate like a prima ballerina.

The balance between perfect ripeness and tart acidity was exquisite. Such a pleasure to drink! And it worked very well with our favorite Thai food, in this case, a selection of dishes across the flavor spectrum . . .

BTW, I loved this wine so much that I featured it in an earlier post during the Giro d’Italia, a three-week cycling race similar to the Tour de France. Check it out here!

2023 Hochkofler Riesling (13% abv; ~$25 retail)

Similar to the Kerner, this Riesling was grown in the region around Bolzano and in Valle Isarco at 500 meters above sea level. Matthias indicated that because Riesling is sensitive to location, it is planted on plots with favorable aspects: those that offer maximum sun exposure for complete ripening.

Riesling Tasting Notes and Pairing

This wine is very pale lemon with a slight green tint at the rim. On the nose there is a wonderful swirl of lemon peel, green apple, Bosc pear, and white flowers. After opening there is an appealing mineral note that arises, along with some lime zest. The palate is complex, with a mix of ripe orchard fruit (pear, apple) and tropical fruit (pineapple, guava). The acidity is high and provides perfect balance to the lush fruit. On the finish there are notes of orange peel and lime zest, which lingers – pleasantly so!

I paired this with a simple pan-seared pork chop seasoned with herbes de provence and a romaine salad with homemade lemon-tahini dressing. But this wine deserved more! Next time I’d make a citrus-glazed grilled shrimp with a pineapple and cabbage slaw.

2023 Mock Sauvignon (14% abv; ~$28 retail)

According to Matthias, Sauvignon is one of the cooperative’s highest-producing varieties: a bit surprising given the steep, gravelly slopes of Bolzano at 500 meters above sea level!

Sauvignon Tasting Notes and Pairing

Pale lemon in the glass, with pronounced aromas of white grapefruit, lemon curd, white currant, mint, and a lovely floral note. At first whiff it reminds me of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. On the palate I know at once that this isn’t a Kiwi quaff: there are ripe apples and pears; Florida ruby grapefruit and passionfruit. It’s a kaleidoscope of flavors! Ripe and lush, weighty on the palate yet with perfect balance. In fact, it summons memories of the “?” Touraine Sauvignon Blanc from Vincent Ricard – a wine that stole my heart years ago, forever changing how I felt about the variety.

I served the Mock Sauvignon with lemon-herb salmon filets – a lovely match. But, once again, I’d go wilder with the pairing next time. Over the weekend I had a delicious dish at Vic’s, a local restaurant here in NYC: ravioli stuffed with pistachio and ricotta, topped with crunchy strips of mortadella and fresh basil. Hungry now!

2021 Dellago Weissburgunder (Pinot Bianco) (13.5% abv; ~$27 retail)

Pinot Bianco, as Messner described it, is the “alpha white wine of the Alto Adige,” despite comprising just 10% of total vineyard acreage in the region. Grown on calcareous soils in the Missian area west of Bolzano, these grapes were fermented in a combination of stainless-steel tanks (80%) and barriques (20%).

Weissburgunder Tasting Notes and Pairing

Pale lemon color with aromas of orange, lemon, pineapple, and apricot; a yeasty hint of lees. After some time in the glass there are intriguing notes of basil and fennel. The flavor profile is similar with a stronger citrus presence – think pink grapefruit and lemon curd. The wine is rather full-bodied and feels luxurious on the palate, balanced by the high acidity. As with all the wines in this seminar, the Weissburgunder was delightfully complex – a perfect contrast between ripe, juicy fruit and palate-cleansing acidity. A trait that makes them wonderful food partners!

I enjoyed the Dellago with a quintessential spring dinner – penne topped with fresh local asparagus, peas, mint, and lemon-ricotta sauce. It was a match made in heaven! But I’d be just as happy to sip it on a summer evening, watching the sunset.

Have You Tried the Wines of Kellerei Bozen?

I’d love to hear your thoughts – especially about any delicious pairings you might have created. These wines would make great partners with a wide range of dishes, and I’m always looking for more culinary inspiration.