September Wine Letter - "Überetscher Finesse"
In the 1990s, Oskar Andergassen from VINUM-Hotel "Klosterhof" in Kaltern created preconditions in the vineyard for success in the cellar using his heart and his mind: clever varietal adjustments and outstanding care for South Tyrol's leading red variety – the king - Pinot Noir. "The career jump of Klosterhof Winery comes highly deserved in the main part of our guide," writes Gambero Rosso, Italy's leading wine guide. And continues: "This immediately becomes clear with just a glance at the high-quality range of wines that we have been presented with for years by Oskar Andergassen. The small family business is located on a sunny spot surrounded by vineyards, five minutes from the center of Caldaro in the middle of the countryside. His bottling style is characterized in keeping with the essentials. Elegance and well-balanced extract content act together in order to create wines worthy of their typology. Pinot Noir alias Pinot Nero or Blauburgunder is the flagship wine of this estate." The Kaltersee Classico Superiore PLANTADITSCH is a monovarietal, typical Vernatsch from the "Plantaditsch" site at 350 meters above sea level. The fermentation process takes place partly in wooden barrels and partly in steel barrels. This exceptional Vernatsch is indeed the best accompaniment to typical South Tyrolean specialties. In recent years, Pinot Blanc "Acapella", full of finesse, together with the dry Goldmuskateller, rarely matured in South Tyrol and which Oskar and his son Hannes have simply christened "Birnbaum" have been causing quite a sensation.
VINUM-Hotel "Stroblhof" was already documented as a traditional wine farm before the 1600s. First off, 500m above sea level guarantees expressive wines - the other factor being more human than physical: thanks to the aficionado tenacity of Andreas Nicolussi, one of the star wine growers of Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Blanc. Andreas Nicolussi: "The fruit used for our quality wines thrives on 5 hectares of prime location: right on the mountainside of the towering Mendel Range, on east and southeast-facing slopes. There, vines enjoy warm South Tyrolean sunny days and pleasantly cool mountain nights until autumn. Really special wines are created in our cellars thanks to this Mediterranean-Alpine climate, the cool downslope winds and the limestone and porphyry rich soils, as well as the attentive nurturing of the vineyards. The classic at Stroblhof is the fruity Pinot Blanc - "Strahler", which unites fine acidity with stimulating crispness. Delicate apricot and vanilla notes give Chardonnay "Schwarzhaus" its typical character and whose vines come from a location bearing the same name. Sauvignon Blanc "Nico", on the other hand, brings to life subtle notes of herbs, elderflower and paprika on the palate. "How good our South Tyrolean wines really taste," says dedicated cellarman Andreas Nicolussi, "can be discovered at our weekly tasting at VINUM-Hotel "Stroblhof". Every Monday we welcome you to visit our winery with a guided tasting."
"The grape varieties of Tyrol consist solely of succulent, early-ripening grapes (...). They hold a considerable amount of tartaric acid but very little free acidity; they are completely lacking in perfume, often also in body; they are mostly of low tenability, hence the extremely insignificant demand. (...) The base wine is abundant, but has no bouquet, is thick and not durable. The grape varieties, must production and vinification leave much to be desired and are the cause of the fact that Tyrol produces so many weak acidulous wines." This is as far as the devastating judgment of a certain Dr. Hamm from Leipzig goes who visited and described the wine country of South Tyrol in the distant year of 1865. Since then, the wine region south of Brenner has developed sensationally – as a result of strict location selection, variety selection and quality selection, South Tyrolean wines have long been one of the permanent fixtures on the best wine lists in the world! The VINUM-Hotel Südtirol-Wine Letter in October presents premium locations and leading varieties.