Trentino-Alto Adige ~ Wine Region

 All the way up in Northern Italy on the Austrian and Swiss borders is the region of Trentino-Alto Adige, also known as Trentino-South Tyrol. On the map below, the northern portion is Alto Adige (AKA South Tyrol or Südtirol) while the southern portion is Trentino. Being conquered by the Romans in 15 BC, you know that this place has been making wine for a very long time.

(This article was written for GrapeBunch, our weekly wine periodical. Click here to read the original!)

Alto Adige is Italy's most northern wine region, and they speak more German and have a more Austrian culture than Italian. However, the grapevines grown here are more French than Teutonic. It produces mostly white wines like Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Pinot Bianco, but does also produce red wine from Schiava and Pinot Noir. This region is famous for their vineyards planted on insanely steep hillsides, its cold winters, and high winds.

THE WINES OF ALTO ADIGE

To the south, but still part of the Adige Valley, is Trentino. The more common language here is Italian, and so is the culture. Most of the wine produced here is Pinot Grigio, which loves everything about its terroir. There is also a lot of Chardonnay planted here for sparkling wine. The soil of the valley floor is where most of the vineyards are planted, but they still climb up the rocky slopes of the Dolomites wherever they can.

THE DOLOMITES: A JOURNEY THROUGH TRENTINO

TIEFENBRUNER PINOT GRIGIO

Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio from northern Italy's Trentino-Alto Adige region is my personal favorite Pinot Grigio, and it's a great summer thirst quencher. It's a fuller bodied PG with excellent balance, honeysuckle, apple, and honeydew melon.

This article was written for The GrapeBunch Wine Periodical.

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