2022 Pfitscher Alto Adige Dola Müller Thurgau

Tenuta Pfitscher is one of the hidden gems from Alto Adige (Süd Tirol). It is a small family business. Their base is in beautiful Montagna. The family has been making wine since 1861 and from 1940 the focus has been completely on making quality wines, now for 7 generations. Their 17 hectares of vineyards are spread over Montagna, Egna, Cortaccia, Ora and Fiè allo Sciliar. The Pfitscher family stands for clean, lively wines from high-altitude vineyards. The cool climate gives them expression, finesse and their own identity. The name Pfitscher has always been synonymous with a passion for making great wines.

The history of Tenuta Pfitscher goes back more than 160 years. In 1861 the foundation was laid for the current wine estate. Today, it is the youngest two generations that determine the course on the domain. Although, nonno Alfred can still be found daily in the vineyards. He is happy to assist Klaus and Monika Pfitscher and their children Daniel, Hannes and Marion with advice and assistance. And in turn they are more than happy to appeal to him. His wisdom and experience are invaluable to the youngest generation. It's not for nothing that they affectionately call him vecchia volpe, or old fox.

The Pfitschers own about 20 hectares of their own vineyards, all located in Alto Adige. Almost all plots are located south of Bolzano, only the Sauvignon Blanc and Muller-Thürgau grapes grow in a more northeasterly, higher and cooler area (Fiè allo Sciliar). As with most producers in this region, the emphasis is not on one white or one red wine, but a wide range of wines is produced. The white/red ratio is about the same. A local variety such as Lagrein is naturally represented, but Gewürztraminer and Pinot Nero are also widely planted. Impressive results have been achieved for years with the latter grape. Both James Suckling and Falstaff Magazine have praised the wines more than once.

Viticulture in Alto Adige almost always means a labour-intensive method, especially when you operate at the level of the Pfitscher family. They prefer to ignore the lower vineyards; it is precisely the steeper slopes with an optimal zone exposure that are preferred by the Pfitschers. And then they also look for the higher parcels of land. There is no vineyard of theirs below 300 meters sul livello del mare; the highest is even 900 meters above sea level! They like to take for granted that the vineyards are not accessible to tractors and harvesters. All the work in the vineyards, including the harvest, is done manually here. Intensive, but nature and the end result benefit from it!

The grapes grow on impressive steep slopes and sometimes we are asked why a wine has a certain price and then we advise them to see what effort must be made to harvest these beautiful grapes. A nice wine does not come into your glass without effort.

The Trentino-Alto Adige region is located in northeastern Italy, just below Austria and is divided into two autonomous provinces. In the southernmost province of Trentino people speak Italian, in Alto Adige mainly German. The mountainous character of the region does not provide an easy basis for viticulture. In the first place are therefore fruit and livestock, followed by the vine, usually planted on steep terraces. Nevertheless, some remarkable wines come from it. In particular the Spumanti and some white wines are of very good quality. There are also some high-class red wines made (Lagrein and Teroldego Rotaliano). The region has two umbrella DOCs, the Trentino DOC and the Alto Adige DOC, each of which is divided into sub-zones or wine types. In addition, the region has 5 other DOCs and 5 IGTs. As much as three quarters of the total wine production is classified as DOC while the vast majority of the wine is exported.

The largest vineyard area is found in the province of Trentino, 9,000 hectares compared to some 3,800 hectares in the province of Bolzano. Although the location of the region and the climate suspect that many white wines are produced in particular, historically the emphasis is still on the production of red wines that make up as much as two thirds of the total. Many red wines are made from the Schiava or Vernatsch and are light and fruity in character. Austria and Germany are important customers for this type of wine. The best known are the St. Magdalener or Santa Maddalena and the Kalterersee or Caldaro, with their own DOC, both from the province of Bolzano.

Trentino is such a wine region that you always drive at full speed, on the way from the Brenner Pass to those wonderful southern regions, such as the nearby Lake Garda or picturesque Tuscany. Wrong! Trentino is also worth a visit, not only because of the landscape, but also because of the wine. At first sight it seems such a simple wine region, located in the flat valley of the Adige. But that turns out to be wrong at all. Around the capital Trento there are vineyards on beautiful hills and in picturesque valleys. They even reach there up to an altitude of 800 meters. This is very high for European standards. This means that Trentino is an ideal place for making fresh and powerful still wines, with beautiful acids, due to its location at height. And above all, it is an area where delicious sparkling wines come from. Indeed, the acids in the wines of the higher slopes are ideal for sparkling wines.
This even leads to the conclusion that the sparkling wines of this region are probably its strongest point. With Franciacorta, just to the west, the region around Trento is Italy's main producer of quality mousseux, made according to the Metodo Classico, so with a classic fermentation in the bottle, the best way to get the most beautiful bubbles. Top house Ferrari was the basis of a separate DOC for sparkling: Trento, mind you, in addition to the already existing DOC Trentino for dry wines - a bit confusing. Trento DOC requires a bottle maturation of at least 18 months, twice as long as for the Spanish Cava. A smart move. In addition, most homes allow their wines to age even longer on the yeast, resulting in finer bubbles and more complexity. In addition to Ferrari, the region has many producers of sparkling wines. Various cooperatives are of course active in this, and certainly successfully. The combination of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from high vineyards works extremely well. It makes sparkling wines one of the successes of the region. Super cooperative Cavit makes a fine mousseux under the name Altamira 'Graal', competitive cooperative Mezzacorona uses its own brand Rotari for good sparkling wines, also made according to the Metodo Classico. These positive developments strengthen the DO Trento's position as a leading region for sparkling wines, not only in Italy, but also internationally.

Trentino, Italy's number 1 in Chardonnay production, is also a leader in the production of excellent sparkling wines according to the 'metodo tradizonale', many of which have the DOC classification to their name. The city of Trento is the 'vibrant' center of this production and even has its own DOC (DOC Trento) exclusively for the production of Spumanti of the Chardonnay supplemented with Pinot nero and / or Pinot bianco and / or Meunier. The wines are a good substitute for Champagne and very suitable with oysters and other shellfish, but are often consumed as aperitif.

Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety. This cultivar was developed in 1882 by the scientist Hermann Müller from the Swiss canton of Thurgau. After gene research around the year 2000, it was determined that this is a cross between the Riesling Weiss and Madeleine Royale, a seedling of the Chasselas. With a worldwide planting of more than 40,000 ha, it is a successfully cultivated grape. It is a grape variety that has relatively few requirements for soil and weather conditions.

What does wine from the Müller-Thurgau grape taste like?

Good wines from the Müller-Thurgau grape combine a sultry, spicy nose with a fresh taste. They have a soft aroma of green fruit and citrus, with a hint of peach and nutmeg. They are light, pleasantly fresh and easy to drink.