Südtirol / Alto Adige DOC

DOC area (also South Tyrol, Italian Alto Adige or dell'Alto Adige) for red wines, rosé wines and white wines in the Italian wine-growing region of South Tyrol. It is divided into six sub-zones, which are considered DOC areas in their own right and do not cover the entire product range under this name, but only certain types of wine. These are Bozner Leiten (Italian: Colli di Bolzano), Eisacktaler (Valle Isarco), Meraner Hügel (Meranese di Collina), St. Magdalener (Santa Maddalena), Terlaner (Terlano) and Vinschgau (Valle Venosta). If the grapes come from classified vineyards, all wines can be labelled Vigna followed by the vineyard name.

The picture shows vineyards near Tramin. The South Tyrolean lowlands (often also known as the Bolzano lowlands, Bassa Atesina in Italian) is the name given to an approximately 25 km long section of the Adige Valley in South Tyrol between Bolzano, Termeno and Salorno.

Types of wine

There are many different types of wine, which are produced either as single-varietal wines (85% of the specified variety, max. 15% other added varieties) or as a cuvée. The names of the grape varieties can appear on the label in German and/or Italian. The white wines are Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer or Traminer Aromatico, Goldmuskateller or Moscato Giallo, Grauburgunder or Ruländer or Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris), Kerner, Riesling or Riesling Renano, Müller-Thurgau, Sauvignon (Sauvignon Blanc), Sylvaner (Silvaner), Veltliner (Grüner Veltliner), Weißburgunder or Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc) and Welschriesling or Riesling Italico.

The red wines are Blauburgunder or Spätburgunder or Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), Cabernet (Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon), Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Edelvernatsch or Schiava Gentile, Grauvernatsch or Schiava Grigia, Lagrein, Malvasier or Malvasia, Merlot, Rosenmuskateller or Moscato Rosa, Vernatsch or Großvernatsch or Schiava Grossa. Rosé wines or Rosato or Rosé are known as Kretzer in German. Some types of wine are known as Superiore with a higher alcohol content and Riserva wines that are aged for longer. Some types of wine are also available as Spumante, Vendemmia Tardiva (late harvest) and sweet Passito.

Image: By Plentn - Own work, CC0, Link