Alto Adige Wines Show North of Italy at Its Best

Think you know pinot grigio?

It’s a wine upon which wine snobs heap scorn.  And you could have counted me among them — until last week, when I had the opportunity to sample some aged pinot grigios at a New York City tasting for the trade and wine writers sponsored by producers from Alto Adige, Italy’s smallest wine region.

There, I discovered complex, mineral driven (think stones) pinot grigios -- and several other exciting, highly aromatic, food-friendly white wines from an appellation I had not previously explored.

Alto Adige (pronounced äl-tō-ä-dē-ˌjā) is a region in the north of Italy, squeezed between Austria and Switzerland. Also known as Südtirol, or the southern Tyrol, it abuts the Alps and the Dolomite Mountains and until 1919 was part of Austria.  Many of the wine producers’ names are Germanic and so are their wines, which include gewürztraminer, sylvaner, müller-thurgau and riesling. It’s a place you’ll find knödel and sauerkraut on menus alongside pasta dishes.

Some of these pinot grigios more resembled the full-bodied pinot gris (same grape, different language) from Alsace than the lemon-juice versions produced elsewhere in Italy. And they also proved that they can age quite well.

There was the Nals Magreid Pinot Grigio Punggi 2007 with a huge floral nose and notes of minerals, pears and apples, great acidity and a long finish. The 2009, now on the market, sells for about $24.

And, the San Michele Appiano Pinot Grigio Sanct Valentin 2006, which offered up a nose of flowers along with juicy flavors, vanilla, spice and minerals. The 2009 vintage of this partly barrel fermented wine, currently available, sells for $35.

Some of the newest pinot grigios at the tasting, also were quite pleasing, particularly the Elena Walch Pinot Grigio Castel Ringberg 2009, a full-bodied, juicy, mineral-laden wine that retails for $24, and the Peter Zemmer Pinot Grigio 2010 with its peachy nose, apple and mineral flavors, a touch of spritz and $20 price tag.

To be sure, pinot grigio wasn’t the only wine to be tasted that day. Other aged whites pleasantly surprised me, too. Among them:

Franz Haas Cuvee Manna 2004, a blend of riesling, chardonnay, tramtiner, aromatico and sauvignon blanc. The wine bursts onto the palate with notes of spice, dried fruit, rose petals, peaches and almonds. The current release, from 2009 is rich, minerally and juicy. It sells for $40.

Caldaro Sauvignon Castel Giovanelli 2007, a mouth-filling sauvignon blanc with some of the typical gooseberry notes you’d expect from this grape, along with minerality and acidity. It’s among the priciest of the region’s wines at $48.

Terlan Nova Domus Terlaner Riserva 2005, a blend of pinot blanc, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc aged on yeast in oak. The sauvignon blanc figures prominently on the nose, but on the palate there’s apricots, apples and minerals. The 2007, now available, a round, but softer wine, sells for $55.

Alois Legeder Chardonnay Lowengang 2002. A juicy, mouth filling, creamy Burgundy-style white with a floral nose, notes of pears, oak and minerals. The current release, the 2007, retails for $40.

Peter Zemmer Gewürztraminer Reserve 2006, another mouth-filling wine that offered hints of sweetness and, lychees, rose petals, spices, peaches minerals and great acidity. The 2009 sells for $29.

Tramin Gewürztraminer Nussbaumer 2004, a full-bodied wine with tons of spice, lychee fruit, a hint of sweetness and a long finish.  The 2009, now on the market, retails for $35 and is quite similar.

Alto Adige has 15 co-op producers, since the typical growers own farms about 2 1/2 acres, but it also has 37 wine estates, such as Alois Lageder, J. Hofstätter, and Tiefenbrünner, where white wines are the specialty. Red wine is also produced. The region’s leading reds are lagrein, schiava, both made from indigenous grape varieties, and pinot noir, a/k/a pinot nero. The lagrein and schiava wines are soft, sometimes rustic, easy drinking, uncomplicated reds and, I think, less interesting that the whites.

To be sure, Alto Adige wines aren’t all that easy to find, though shops in the area stock a bottle or two and area restaurant’s may have a few bottles on their lists. Most are reasonably priced with retail stickers from the mid-teens up to $55.

Osteria da Nino restaurant offers four Alto Adige wines on its list; an Alois Legeder chardonnay and pinot grigio, pinot grigio from Peter Zemmer and a sauvignon blanc from Cantina Tramin.

Michael Ross, chef/owner of Bel Posto, was among the many attendees at the tasting. He said he came away impressed. Enough, he said, that he plans to add a few more Alto Adige wine to his restaurant’s list that now includes a Tiefenbrünner pinot grigio and a Nals Margreid müller thurgau.  “It’s a great region,” he said, noting that the wines are similar to the Austrian and Alsatian wines that he also favors. The Tiefenbrünner, available by the glass, is one of Bel Posto’s top-selling wines. He said Bel Posto patrons are willing to try new wines, especially if they’re recommended. “I try to visit the table and push the wines,” he said. “Once I get them to try something, they come back and ask for it again.”

At the Joanina Wine Shop you can find Alto Adige wines from Abbazia di Novacella, considered one of Italy’s best wineries and its most northern and from Lechthalter, including pinot grigio, kerner, gewurztraminer and lagraein.  The lagrein, a red, is popular with restaurant customers said Amy Oliva, who runs the shop adjacent to Restaurant Joanina, which has a 70-bottle list, most of which are sold in the retail shop.

The wines are definitely a hand sell for wine merchants, too. “They don’t sell,” said Ted Ryder, owner of Seaholm Wines, which stocks Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio Benefizium Porer and Kofererhof Kerner. “If people buy these, it’s because we recommend them, not because they know its Alto Adige.”

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Canterbury Ales,  celebrating its 34th anniversary on April 4-7, will offer a week-long 80's priced menu of select items for lunch and dinner For information call (631) 549-4404.

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Here’s the tasting schedule for this weekend at Bottles & Cases:  Friday, 1-4 p.m., Skinny Girl Margaritas, 4-7 p.m. Patron Tequilas, Clos du Bois Reserve Cabernet, Escudo Rojo, Feudi Rubrato, Terre do Tufi, Botalcura Cabernet, Chateau Montroc 2005 and Troyanska Slivovitz. Saturday, 1-4 p.m.,  Sausa Tequilas, Kahlua Coffee Liquer, Malibut Coconut Rum, Antinori Santa Cristina, Columbia Crest Grand Estates chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Sunday, 1-4 p.m., Windisch rieslings, Simi merlot, Clos do Bois Cabernet, Escudo Rojo and Diseno malbec.

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 J. Lohr Wines from California are on the tasting schedule at Seaholm Wines, for Saturday, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
 
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The Wine Shack will be offering customers on Friday samples of Owen Roe Sharecroppers Cabernet Sauvignon.