In summer, Alto Adige’s capital, Bolzano can be the hottest city in Italy; yet in the winter it’s ski-ing that is the draw. It’s a place where you can be standing in front of a fig tree, then look up at the steep surrounding hills and spy a ski lift. It’s now part of Italy, but for most of the people who live here, German is their first language, as the region was part of Austria until 1919. Contradictions like these are embedded into the very fabric of Alto Adige, or (of course it has more than one name) Südtirol.
The biannual Alto Adige Wine Summit took place in September 2025 ©mintmediahouse
Every two years this fascinating and apparently remote slice of northern Italy, where Alpine and Mediterranean influences meet, hosts a Wine Summit, welcoming press from around the world to learn more about its unique wines, thrown into sharp focus by the crystalline air of the surrounding foothills of the Dolomites. The combination of altitude, a complex mosaic of soils, and a commitment to high quality viticulture make this a compelling region with lots to offer UK buyers.
Over the course of three days of vineyard and winery visits, plus a mega tasting of over 300 wines, visitors are left with an appreciation of the breadth of wine styles made here, using a broad palette of grape varieties, with an emphasis on white wines, which make up 65% of total production.
Because of the limited amount of vineyard area here (5,850 hectares, or just a little more than the UK now) and the fact that the average vineyard holding is just 1 hectare, volumes of individual wines are necessarily small. While this precludes most Alto Adige wines from being present in mass distribution in the UK, it also means that these wines, with their small production, are especially suited to the on-trade.
Over the course of three days visitors visitors are left with an appreciation of the breadth of wine styles made here ©mintmediahouse
What does Alto Adige have to offer?
High quality examples of classic international varieties abound here, always with a signature elegance and light touch.
Chardonnay lovers should look out for the wines of Elena Walch, which are imported by Armit. She makes refined examples of most of the region’s key varieties. Her Vigna Castel Ringberg Chardonnay Riserva 2022 is fine, mineral and dainty, with a suggestion of leesy texture.
Franz Haas produces some of the best-known Alto Adige wines in the UK, distributed by Liberty Wines. His Lepus Pinot Bianco 2023 shows lovely purity, and his Pinot Nero 2023 is a classic from the region: fragrant and delicate, with perfumed, tart fruit.
In fact Pinot Nero is the most prestigious red variety in the region, and the best examples are perfumed and silky, with wonderfully pure fruit. Among many great examples, Praesulis Pinot Nero, Markus Prackwieser 2022 has understated oak and a savoury-spicy edge to the fresh, crunchy fruit, thanks in part to 30% whole bunch fermentation. Dolce Vita stocks a selection of wines from this producer. Also look out for quality-minded Cantina Girlan’s Patricia Pinot Nero, available in the UK with Vinarius.
Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer are also widespread, the former offering an understated aromatic profile and the latter perhaps unexpected freshness.
The region's vineyard area is similar to that of England
A triumph for Pinot Bianco
Pinot Bianco, aka Pinot Blanc, could be the Bart Simpson of the Pinot family – underachiever and proud of it. Outside of Alto Adige the variety is hardly cause for excitement. Yet here, it can make some thrilling wines which show mineral freshness, class and complexity.
A case in point is Vorberg DOC Terlaner, Cantina Terlano 2022, a 100% Pinot Bianco made by perhaps the region’s pre-eminent co-operative. As a side note, because of the fractured nature of vineyard holdings here, co-ops are hugely important in supporting the continued existence of small growers, and are responsible for some very prestigious wines.
A big part of the attraction of Vorberg Pinot Bianco is the delightful texture on the palate, which combines juicy whole lemons, a wheaty note and trademark appetising salinity, perhaps due to the volcanic red porphyry soils. Cantina Terlano’s wines are imported into the UK by Astrum Cellars.
Alois Lageder is another superstar producer, who has fully embraced organics and biodynamics and whose Versalto Pinot Bianco 2023 combines fruit from four different parcels on a mix of volcanic and limestone soils. A faint apple skin bitterness adds to the appeal of the lightly floral fruit, packing lots of flavour into a wine with just 11.5% alcohol (elsewhere in Alto Adige rising alcohol levels are becoming problematic). The 2022 vintage is currently available in the UK via Hallgarten, which also stocks his Porer Pinot Grigio, where a proportion of stems and skin contact give the variety food-friendly grip and tension.
Also worthy of mention is Berg Pinot Bianco Niedrist 2023, from the Eppan-Berg UGA. Since the 2024 vintage, producers can use one of these additional geographical terms, or UGAs, which are somewhat equivalent to a cru. The wine is refreshing and vital, with a touch of roundness leading to a saline finish, and available, along with quite a few other wines from Niedrist, from Ealing Wine Cellars.
Pale Schiava
Schiava – see-sawing fortunes
This red variety, also locally known as Vernatsch (which is more likely to be found on labels than Schiava) is identical to Trollinger in Germany. It used to dominate the region, accounting for 85% of plantings up until the 1980s, when it was replaced with international varieties. After a period in the wilderness, it’s on the up again, thanks to its ability to make light-bodied and fashionably pale reds with gentle tannins and masses of crunchy berry fruit – the very definition of a ‘smashable’ wine that is like catnip to today’s sommeliers.
Red wines labelled DOC Lago di Caldaro will be made from Schiava. Wines by Cantina Kaltern, distributed by Ellis Wines, are very accessible examples. Niedrist also makes a Lago di Caldaro Schiava (with a tiny amount of Alto Adige’s other red speciality, Lagrein) which is a beautiful pale ruby colour and enticingly strawberry-scented. Again, it’s available from Ealing Wine Cellars.
Based on a tasting of some older vintages, Schiava makes wines that should be enjoyed in their vibrant youth.
Schiava is also a key ingredient of wines labelled Santa Maddalena, where it is blended with Lagrein. Lagrein shares a delightful fruitiness in common with Schiava but also a rustic, herbal component which can be very attractive in the right hands.
When you are there the wines snap into focus. ©mintmediahouse
Prospects for the region
Alto Adige may not have a high profile amongst wine drinkers in the UK, but it makes a wide range of wines, most of them white, which chime with modern tastes. The small volumes make these wines a good fit for indies and the on-trade.
It’s one of those regions which really snaps into focus, and the wines make sense, when you are there. To encourage this, Alto Adige is embarking on a campaign to raise its profile more generally in the UK, beyond wine consumers.
The region’s unique culture, food and outdoor pursuits - especially ski-ing – are reasons why general travellers might want to visit. And this is being made easier, and more attractive, by start-up airline Skyalps, based in Bolzano, which offers direct flights from Gatwick. Its policy of offering passengers free shipping of a case of wine also underlines its commitment to spreading the word about this region’s unique wines.
