
The Adige Valley cuts a swath through the mighty Alps and connects Italy to the rest of mainland Europe via the Brenner Pass. The slopes of this breathtaking Alpine region are covered in pergola-trained vines of native grape varieties such as Schiava and Teroldego. Increasingly, the lower reaches are populated with everything from the ubiquitous Chardonnay to Pinot Blanc and Muller-Thurgau, typically trained in the Guyot method on wires. These new plantings are a clear indicator of the renaissance that has occurred in the region over the last few decades. Most of the small, family-owned growers in Alto Adige have toiled in anonymity for years, but in the Age of Information those wine drinkers seeking the unique and obscure have discovered Italy's northernmost grape-growing region.
Among the myriad success stories in Alto Adige in the last 30 years is the Giovanett family. Alfons Giovanett founded
Weingut Castelfeder in 1970 as a
small, private winery producing
primarily red wine from indigenous
varieties. In 1989, Alfons's son,
Gunther, took over the family
business and has grown it into a
promising commercial enterprise.
Now in its third generation of family
ownership, Alfons's grandson, Ivan,
is taking over winemaking duties
and granddaughter, Ines, is managing sales and export.

2016 PERTICO PINOT GRIGIO
2016 KERNER LAHN
2016 GEWURZTRAMINER VOM LEHM
2015 LAGREIN REIDER
2015 PINOT NERO GLENER
Together the Giovanett family farms over 50 hectares of vines spread out between Salorno in the south and Bolzano in the north, approximately half white and half red. The wines embody the clean, fresh style that is gradually attracting the wine-drinking world to the soaring foothills of the Italian Alps.
