Adventures in Trentino

Trip to Trentino Part 2

As we started our little trip around the city of Bolzano, me in my polo neck jumpers in paradoxically Italy’s summer hot spot.  (You have to go to Siciliy to find warmer weather in summer). Tempers simmered below the surface for Aaron and Alex and they sat as far away from each other as they could on the bus.

This was a pity because I got on with both men and it was a genuine mistake on Alex’s behalf but Aaron didn’t see it like that – maybe if someone else and not a German, there wouldn’t been as much bad feeling.

An alpine road bordered with vineyards

 Our visit to Trentino included visits to Viticoldori Caldaro, Cantina Produttori  Cortaccia,Kastelaz Elena Walch, Josef Niedermayer,  Hofstatter, Cantina Produttori San Michel Appiano, Produttori Colterenzio, Cason Hirschprunn, Cantina Vini Peter Zemmer and Alois Lageder. As you can see from the list, not a lot of help for me because only one brand was available in Australia at that time and my employer wanted me to do a write up of my trip.

Viticaldora Caldora

The only thing about Viticoldori Caldoro (Kallerei Kaltern)  that I remember was Lagrein, a rustic red wine that grows prolifically in the area due to the hot summer temperatures that I was sweating through. At that time the grapes were trellised using the pergola system which was very pretty but these days nearly all vineyards have been swapped over the guyot, a more modern style. There are approximately 350 hectares of Lagrein grown around Bolzano.

I believe you can now buy one or two brands of Lagrein in Australia, is very dark in colour yet it is unsettling because the palate doesn’t live up to the expectations of your eyes. It is a light wine with aromas of raspberries and plums and is slightly spicy with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. It is strangely a good food wine.

Elena Walch Barrel

Lago Caldaro

Next came Elena Walch, where we met the lovely Elena and her husband. We saw their vineyards rising nearly vertically behind the winery and we were taken on a little excursion to Lago Caldaro, a beautiful wetland and filled with popular holiday resorts. On returning to the winery, we were taken on one of the first of many interminable barrel stores. If you want to bore a wine journo quickly, take them on the tour and see how quickly they switch off. Their eyes glaze over and they start to lose concentration. But if you definitely want to kill the moment, follow the barrel store with a bottling line.  A bottling line is a bottling line, they all do the same thing but because the winery has outlaid so much money they want to show you – believe me they all work in the same way!

Elena Walch’s barrel store was nice one, it had several large carved and painted botte (large barrels) at the entrance. It had been there for many generations so for once it wasn’t the same boring tour, at least the beginning wasn’t. Of course, as it was my first trip I was still excited about everything and barrel stores and bottling lines still enthralled me.

Our little bus took us to our next destination up mountain trails and along roads where we had magnificent views and you really do feel as if you are on the top of the world.

Neidemeyer

We travelled to Neidermayr for which I cannot remember a thing and then Hofstatter where we met the most arrogant and unpleasant young man. I won’t mention his name. This young man, supposedly the owner, whether it was an act or he was just immature showed us around the winery and the house on the property all the time with a superior attitude of look what I have and you don’t. I hope he has become a lot more humble these days.

Later we saw San Michele Appiano (very nice but nothing to report) and Colterenzio, which was located in the most perfect alpine setting. Colterenzio was where we really noticed the confusion of having two different names in two languages, Colterenzio was also known as Shreckbicle (German) Both names were up on the wall outside and we asked what the Shreckbicle meant and we were told by the director that it was the real name of the winery – he was German.

Colterenzio - Shrekbicle

All the other wineries have disappeared from my memory except for Alois Lageder and the town of Magré.

The town of Magre

Alois Lageder is an unusual person. He is very affable and gentle and he think before he does anything to make sure he doesn’t affect the environment. His winery is built on the side of a hil so that the rock it stands on keeps it cool. The winery is constructed in such a way that the wine always travels down using gravity instead of motors. It uses a motor only once when it is pumped up to be bottled. The winery is made of wood and uses wooden nails and non toxic natural glues, the windows are louvered in a certain way so that the offices in the winery do not need air conditioning. It is the most amazing winery.

In the vineyards he grows grapes bio-dynamically, he puts cows horns full of sulphur in the corner of each vineyard and has work done in the vineyard by the phases of the moon. He also uses the Kaballah to name the various vineyards – the Kaballah uses no vowels so he has some weird names – he adds vowels if the letters need it.

Alois Lageder

But, it must work as he has delicious wines.

After the visit to the winery, he walked us back to his house through the town of Magre. It was quite strange, most people knew him and treated him like royalty, men took their hats off and women bowed their heads.

We went back to his house where we found out his wife was a ballerina (what else could she be, she’d have to be in the arts field somewhere) and that he had organised for one of the best chefs from Switzerland to cook dinner for us. Being only a few kilometres from the border, the chef had driven down that day and spent all day preparing a wonderful feast for us and had also matched the wines with a variety of recipes which were given to us. Conversation at the table saw me ask Alois a straight question. All the guys knew where I was going and tried to stop me but they wanted to know as much as I did. I asked him if he was worried that some people would think he was whacko with all this mumbo jumbo.  His reply was that it didn’t matter what other people thought and that he had to be happy in his own mind.

 We had a wonderful night, one which I will never forget because our host was so generous with his time, the meal was superb and he didn’t mind me asking him if he was whacko!

I have had emails and Christmas Cards from him since so at least I know there are no hard feelings from my terrible faux pas many years ago.

Next Installment: An interesting flight then Oltrepo Pavese