In this week’s episode of The Drinking Hour podcast, David Kermode travels to Südtirol Alto Adige: a mountain region in Northern Italy where German still stands as the majority language. Nestled high within the Dolomites, this fusion of Mediterranean and mountain culture makes for a fascinating part of the world, where diverse grape varieties thrive, and talented winemakers toy with expressing the diverse terroir and indigenous varietals of the region. In this episode Kermode meets with Eduard Bernhart (winemaker and director of the region’s Consorzio), Maria Niedrist (winemaker at Ignaz Niedrist) and Harald Cronst (export manager at cooperative winery Cantina Kurtatsch) to learn more about what makes Alto Adige so different.
A majority white wine region – where varieties such as Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Silvaner flourish, Alto Adige is home to many Italian, Germanic, and region-specific grapes. Of the reds, Kermode focuses on Schiava and Lagrein – both varietals that produce light bodied, fresh wines, that are indigenous to the region.
Celebrating 50 years since Alto Adige became an official DOC, both Bernhart and Niedrist uncover exactly what it is that makes the region so special, and what the future holds for Alto Adige wines.
Discover more episodes of The Drinking Hour with David Kermode here
