Italy’s northernmost wine region produces distinctive wines that share profiles of opening. Many wish to export to the USA and are monitoring the tariffs situation carefully. I spoke with Alexandra Cembran, Head of Marketing at Consorzio Alto Adige Wines when she visited New York last month.
The wine-growing regions throughout Alto Adige.
Südtirol Wein Vini Alto Adige
Adige wines have a long history that straddles Italy and Austria and can be confusing to the American consumer. Can you distinguish the types and differences of modern AA winemaking?
Marketing director for Südtirol Wein Bini Alto Adige Alexandra Cembran
Südtirol Wein Vini Alto Adige
Wines from Alto Adige are distinguished by their exceptional terroir, where Alpine and Mediterranean climates converge, creating ideal conditions for viticulture. The region’s diverse soils, shaped by the Alps, support over 20 grape varieties, allowing each to thrive in its optimal environment. With over 300 sunny days annually, the area benefits from warm days and cool nights, enhancing the development of aromatic and fresh wines. Alto Adige’s winemaking community is deeply rooted in tradition, yet embraces innovation and sustainability, ensuring the continued evolution of its wine culture.
Schiava was for a long while the predominant grape of AA, yet it was not held in high regard. How is this changing?
The Schiava grape has long been dominant in the viticulture of Alto Adige
IDM/Südtirol Wein/Florian Andergassen
The Schiava grape, also known as Vernatsch, has a long history in Alto Adige, gaining prominence centuries ago and for most of the 20th century was by far the most cultivated variety in Alto Adige. After the 1980’s, Schiava’s popularity waned in favor of international varieties, but in recent decades, it has seen a revival due to its unique, expressive characteristics and ability to reflect the region’s terroir.
Today, less than 10% of Alto Adige’s vineyards are planted with Schiava, meaning its cultivation has been reduced to those vineyard areas where the variety, which is quite demanding in cultivation, finds ideal growing conditions. These growing areas are, among some others, the areas historically known for growing Schiava, such as Santa Maddalena, Lago di Caldaro or the surroundings of Merano.
Vineyards in Alto Adige are in view of the Alps.
Südtirol Wein Bini Alto Adige
Are there young winemakers––sometimes within an old family––who are leading the innovations?
Yes, Alto Adige is fortunate to have many small winegrowing families, where the fortunes of the businesses are passed down from generation to generation. However, there has also been an exciting generational change in many wine estates and cooperative in recent years. Responsibility is handed over to the younger generation with pride and high expectations. They are given full confidence, which means that the region is constantly renewing itself and moving with the times. The young generation of winemakers in Alto Adige is in many cases highly trained and globally networked, breaking new ground without forgetting the achievements of their predecessors.
These winemakers are all about innovation, sustainability, and authenticity, ensuring that Alto Adige’s wines remain dynamic and future-forward while honoring their historical roots. The great diversity in viticulture in Alto Adige is also reflected in the many different styles and personal philosophies of many (young) winegrowers, many with their own personal signature and the special features of the local terroir in the wines they produce.
Some examples:
From cooperatives: St. Michael Eppan winery, Cantina Caldaro, Sankt Pauls winery
From wine estates: Elena Walch, Muri-Gries
From independent winegrowers: St. Magdalena nextgen, a group of young winegrowers from the Santa Maddalena subzone
AA wines have historically been made by co-operatives. Has this changed to single estates?
Wine cooperatives in Alto Adige have a long history dating back to the late 19th century, when local grape growers came together to pool resources and improve wine production. The first wine cooperative in Alto Adige was Cantina Andriano, founded in 1893. Economically, these cooperatives have been and still are crucial for small farming families, providing a vital support system for local, small-scale agriculture, producing high-quality wines, which is unique in the world. Today, cooperatives are still responsible for around 70% of Alto Adige’s wine production, along with 32 private wine estates and around 100 independent wine growers.
How many wine growers and how many wineries are there in AA?
There are 4.800 farmers cultivating 5.850 ha (14,456 acres) of vineyards, which is less than 1% of Italy’s total winegrowing surface. We speak of small-scale agriculture as the average vineyard area per winegrower is just 1 ha (2.5 acres). 70 % of the grapes are vinified by 12 cooperatives, 25 % by private wine estates and the rest by around 100 families of independent winegrowers.
What are your top three export countries?
Our top market is Italy with the regional home market in Alto Adige being highly relevant. This is followed by Germany and the USA, then Switzerland, Japan, United Kingdom the Netherlands Belgium and Canada.
Alexandra Cembran says the winemakers and importers of Alto Adige ar e taking a wait-and-see … More attitude towards the Trump tariffs.
Christine Rau (Christine Rau (Photographer) – [None]
How do you see the Trump tariffs affecting AA’s wine industry?
We are convinced that there is great potential in the USA for the fresh, mineral and aromatic white wines from our region and we are also noticing interest in our autochthonous grape varieties.
We are watching the current developments on the US market with concern. The lack of a coherent customs policy together with the many contradictory statements we are hearing from the American government are creating an increasingly precarious and uncertain situation for our American customers. Our wineries notice that some importers are reacting with a wait-and-see attitude. We are very sorry to see that the current American government is causing considerable difficulties for the American wine industry. Nevertheless, many Alto Adige wineries have long-standing business relationships in the USA, and we are of course committed to ensuring that these continue to exist and can be expanded in the future.
The vineyards in winter in Alto Adige
IDM/Südtirol Wein/Tiberio Sorvillo
AA has a colder climate than most of Italy. What grapes are best suited to that climate?
The combination of cool Alpine climate, sunny days, and cool nights creates a unique terroir ideal for producing high-quality wines, in particular, to preserve acidity and to enhance aromatic complexity in the wines. The region benefits from plenty of sunshine, especially on south-facing slopes, ensuring optimal grape ripening. The mountainous terrain creates microclimates, allowing for a diverse range of grape varieties. It is important to notice that in Alto Adige there are to be found variegated microclimates in the different winegrowing subzones. Next to cool climates, there are also very warm terroirs i.e. in the valley basin of Bolzano, known for growing heat-loving Lagrein.
Has global climate change affected grape farming and harvest timing?
The Alps are an extremely sensitive ecosystem affected by climate change more than other regions in the world, mainly due to an increasing number of extreme weather events, such as hail or early periods of warm weather that may lead to early bud burst. The most obvious sign is that the timing of the harvest has been brought forward in recent decades. Nevertheless, the continuity of winegrowing in Alto Adige is not threatened by the changing climate. Farmers are very attentive and answer the new challenges together with researchers from the field, i.e. by exploring growing grapes at elevated altitude, by adapting new grape varieties, an innovative canopy management as well as the use of technical means to improve the water management.
Trentino and AA have long been linked as a territory and wine region. How are they distinct?
Although Trentino and Alto Adige are neighboring provinces that together constitute the region of Trentino-Alto Adige and share centuries of common history as part of the Austria-Hungary Empire, winegrowing in the two areas is drastically distinct, which becomes especially evident in the great difference in grape varieties grown.
Alto Adige is situated further north and has greater temperature variations between day and night due to its higher altitudes and steep, mountainous terrain. Trento, located slightly south of Alto Adige, has a more moderate climate. Trento, while also producing high-quality still wines, is better known for its sparkling wines, with its Trento DOC being one of the top sparkling wine designations in Italy.