The co-operative winery is located in the South Tyrolean capital of Bolzano, in the Italian region of Trentino-South Tyrol(Trentino - Alto Adige). It was created in 2001 through the merger of the Gries winery (founded in 1908) and the St. Magdalena winery (founded in 1930). Klaus Sparer is the managing director and Stephan Filippi is the cellar master. The vineyards of the 220 members cover a total of 350 hectares of vineyards in the steep slopes around the municipality of St. Magdalena on the northern edge of the town and in the alluvial soil of the Lagrein area in the southern part of the town of Gries. The farms and vineyards lie between 200 and 800 metres above sea level.
The white wine varieties Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Ruländer (Pinot Gris), Gewürztraminer, Silvaner, Sauvignon Blanc, Müller-Thurgau and Goldmuskateller, as well as the red wine varieties Lagrein (60 hectares),Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Rosenmuskateller and Vernatsch are cultivated and processed. The traditional South Tyrolean pergola training method (Laube) is almost exclusively reserved for the Vernatsch grape variety; all other varieties are increasingly being trained using trellis training with wire frames.
The vineyards are cultivated according to environmentally friendly guidelines with calm, balanced growth of the vines, moderate harvests and solid care of the vines by all members. With the professional support of the South Tyrolean Advisory Council for Fruit and Winegrowing, integrated plant protection is implemented in the Bolzano winery. The grapes are paid for according to the quality principle - the higher the quality of the grapes delivered, the higher the price per kilogramme.
Vinification is carried out according to the Bolzano winery's principle that "the origin of wine quality lies in the vineyard and the cellar management can only build on this and complete the product". The diverse product range comprises three lines with basic, selection and riserva quality. Wines from the DOC areas Eisacktaler, St. Magdalener and Südtiroler are produced. The premium wines include Lagrein Riserva "Taber", Lagrein Riserva "Prestige", Cabernet Riserva "Mumelter", Merlot Riserva "Siebeneich", Pinot Nero "Riserva", Gewürztraminer "Kleinstein", Pinot Blanc "Dellago" and Sauvignon "Mock". Around three million bottles of wine are bottled every year.
