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For a long time, the red wines of South Tyrol had a hard time among the more demanding wine lovers. In the decades of mass production in the 70s and 80s, there were only a few producers in South Tyrol with the necessary will and ambition to produce

Alois Lageder (Source: A. Lageder)

high-quality red wines. Thin, quick-to-consume Vernatsch of the simplest quality from enormous yields characterised the picture, and Lagrein was also mostly offered as rosé-coloured "Kretzer".

When pioneers like Alois Lageder began to experiment with barriques in the eighties in order to produce much more serious wines, this was initially done mainly with the Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Soon, however, it became clear that the rather rustic Lagrein could also benefit from a fine-tuning in the barrique. Thus began a slow but steady rise of South Tyrol to become a serious red wine region - which is certainly not over even after 25 years.

The main red variety, however, was and still is Vernatsch. Around 80 per cent of South Tyrol's total red wine area is planted with varieties of this variety, which is still underestimated today due to its low tannin and acidity as well as its light colour. In the end, Vernatsch lacks a bit of the necessary structure for the production of internationally competitive top wines, but the variety is very capable of producing fine, highly animating wines that can easily compete with much more prestigious growths in terms of complexity and length.

View of Bolzano and the Magdalena hill from Sant Justina on the Ritten (Source: EOS-Export Organisation South Tyrol)

Many producers today have the ambition to press top-class wines from their Vernatsch. This is especially true in the sub-zones of Kalterersee and St. Magdalener, which stand for completely different Vernatsch interpretations. While particularly fine and elegant wines are produced at Kalterersee, St. Magdalener is one of the most powerful of all Vernatsch variations. Here, not only is the proportion of Lagrein, which is actually permitted everywhere in small quantities in blends, much more frequent and stronger. It is not uncommon for the St. Magdalener to even have a slight woody note, which is usually dispensed with elsewhere - especially on Lake Caldaro, where the wood would tend to get in the way of the filigree balance. However, some of the most important representatives of the Vernatsch family also come from privileged sites in other regions of South Tyrol. The most prominent example here is certainly the almost legendary "Gschleier" from the Girlan winery, of which even 20 to 30-year-old examples can still be drunk with pleasure. The Merano "Schickenburg", which we chose for our Christmas tasting package, is also one of the best Vernatsch wines you can get today.

The difference between Vernatsch and the second autochthonous South Tyrolean red wine variety, Lagrein, could hardly be greater. Although one parent of Lagrein is demonstrably Edelvernatsch, Teroldego, a tannin-rich Trentino grape variety that produces decidedly dark wines, has prevailed far more in the crossbreeding. As already mentioned,

Traditional pergola plants near Girlan (Source: EOS-Export Organisation South Tyrol)

Lagrein was for a long time popular mainly as a rosé version under the name Kretzer, while the red version was considered quite peasant. Only modern cellar technology, especially the ageing in small wooden barrels, gave the wines more polish and class.

However, as almost everywhere in Europe, there was often a tendency to overdo it with the new wood in South Tyrol at the beginning. Many wines developed far less harmoniously than hoped. In the meantime, however, the best producers are handling the new wood much more conscientiously. From good sites they now succeed in producing highly sophisticated red wines, and even the basic versions now have considerably more polish and animating character than in the past. The vineyards of the Bolzano district of Gries are still considered to be the best. However, in the cellars of the producers who are well-to-do there, they sometimes seem to want to take this into account with very special efforts, which can still lead to somewhat exaggerated, almost overpowering drops in individual cases. However, the development here is apparently also increasingly moving in the direction of finer specimens.

Lagrein is also of considerable importance as a blending partner. Many of South Tyrol's best red wines are blends of Lagrein with other, mostly French grape varieties. Even though some of the most successful red South Tyrolean wines at the beginning of the quality renaissance in the mid-1980s and early 1990s were Cabernets or Merlots vinified on their own, it was soon recognised that blending produces the more interesting results in most cases - and that Lagrein is ideally suited as a partner for the Bordeaux varieties, among which Cabernet Franc and even Petit Verdot have entered the scene to a lesser extent. Many producers, however, completely forgo indigenous varieties in the blending of their best cuvées and either rely entirely on Bordeaux varieties or additionally resort to varieties that are rather exotic for South Tyrol, such as Syrah or even Tempranillo. And with success: Manincor's "Cassiano" combines all these varieties masterfully. But the classic cuvée of Cabernet and Merlot can also turn out excellent, as proven by the "Riserva Rossa" from the Girlan Winery, which we also put in our Christmas box.

South Tyrol - Sunny slopes near Merano (Source: EOS - Esport Organisation Südtirol)

Pinot Noir has been getting a lot of attention in South Tyrol lately, which is probably due to the annual Pinot Noir Days that have been held since 1999, where Italy's best Pinot Noirs are compared with each other before the best of them - among international competitors - are presented to a broad public. Hardly any other variety in the region is so dependent on first-class sites to show what it can do. Pinot Noir in South Tyrol still produces many soft to plump, powerful, emphatically melting wines that lack the subtleties that make Pinot Noir so special. However, the positive development of the last few years cannot be overlooked. Especially in the Unterland region between Auer, Montan and Neumarkt, but also in Girlan or in the Eisacktal, remarkable wines are often produced. But the development of South Tyrolean Pinot Noir in particular is far from over.

BEST OF Red South Tyrolean - Tyrolean varieties raise their profile

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