The winegrowers' cooperative "Kellerei Tramin", or "Cantina Tramin" in Italian, is located in the municipality of Tramin on the Wine Road around three kilometres south of Lake Kaltern in the Italian winegrowing area of South Tyrol ( Trentino-Alto Adige region). It was founded in 1898 on the initiative of the priest and Austrian Member of Parliament Christian Schrott (1853-1936), who was particularly committed to small wine-growing families.
The Traminer co-operative project aimed to change the rules of the game and guarantee its members independence, dignity and security. Then as now, good working conditions and fair pay are essential for social sustainability. The people in charge are Leo Tiefenthaler (chairman), Ulrich Ungerer (managing director), Wolfgang Klotz (sales manager) and Willi Stürz (oenologist and cellar master).
Company building
The building is an impressive example of modern wine architecture. It was designed by architect Werner Tscholl and is characterised by its futuristic, asymmetrical façade. This consists of a complex structure of green steel beams that look like a network of vines, which architecturally picks up on the theme of viticulture.
Maturation in mountain tunnels
After bottling, the "Epokale Gewürztraminer Spätlese" wine is transported to Ridnaun, around 100 kilometres away. Here, the bottles are matured in an abandoned mountain tunnel, which was still actively mined until 1985. The temperature here is a constant 11 °Celsius, humidity is consistently high at 90%, there is absolute darkness and no man-made vibrations. These are ideal conditions for extremely gentle storage.
Vineyards & grape varieties
The vineyards of the approximately 300 members cover a total of 270 hectares of vineyards in the four municipalities of Tramin, Auer, Montan and Neumarkt. The most important sites include Söll, Mazon, Glen, Pinzon and Rungg.
The white wine varieties Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc,Pinot Blanc,Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau and Goldmuskateller, as well as the red wine varieties Pinot Noir, Lagrein, Vernatsch (Schiava Grossa), Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are cultivated and processed.
The vineyards are cultivated according to the cooperative's strict winegrowing guidelines with corresponding specifications for the members. These include the use of natural, environmentally friendly cultivation methods under the premise of a balance between production and vegetation.
Product range
The product range includes various wines from the Lake Caldaro and Alto Adige DOC areas. The flagships of the house are two white wines. The "Epokale Gewürztraminer Spätlese" is matured for 10 months in stainless steel with continuous fine lees contact. The bottles are then stored for 7 years in the mountain tunnels of Ridnaun.
The "Troy Chardonnay Riserva" from vineyards at over 500 metres above sea level matures for 11 months on the fine lees in barrique barrels and a further 22 months in small stainless steel tanks. This is followed by bottle ageing for at least 4 months. The Tramin winery produces around 1.9 million bottles of wine every year.
Pictures: Cantina Tramin winery (Rickard Kust, Florian Andergassen)
