MY PERFECT DAY IN ALTO ADIGE
MORNING
Start the day at the Piazza Erbe market in central Bolzano to buy locally grown apples, then pick up spicy pastries or choose from a wide range of breads at the Franziskaner bakery (@franziskanerbaeckerei) around the corner. Pop into the Franciscan church next door to see medieval frescoes before taking your purchases for a breakfast picnic at the Talvera riverside park, stopping for coffee on the way. Take a short stroll to see the vines at Castel Mareccio (maretsch.info), then cross the river into the Gries neighbourhood. Visit the imposing Muri-Gries monastery (see p68) and try a selection of wines, including some of the very best Lagrein there is. Before leaving the area, walk through exotic vegetation along the zig-zagging Guncina footpath for a stunning panoramic view across the city to the Dolomites.
LUNCH & AFTERNOON
Pick up your car and head southeast and up another hillside for lunch at the idyllic Grafhof* farmhouse, just 5km out of town – though it feels much further than that. Tuck into a meal of farm-fresh eggs with potatoes and speck, followed by strudel made with home-grown apples, all while enjoying the fabulous views across the valley to the Santa Maddalena hill and its tapestry of pergola-trained vines. After lunch, drive south along the Strada del Vino to Caldaro. Explore the attractive town centre, visit the Museo del Vino (weinmuseum.it) and stop at the Peter Sölva winery (see p70). Walk through vines on the Sentiero del Vino footpath to see Caldaro lake, ending up back in the centre at the Casa del Vino Punkt* wine bar for a personalised tasting of local wines.
EVENING
From Caldaro it’s just 7km to Hotel Weinegg*. After checking in, cross the hotel garden and vines beyond to the K Martini & Sohn winery (martinisohn.it). Try some of its excellent wines or relax at a barrel table on the patio with a glass of old-vine Pinot Bianco. Enjoy a delicious dinner on the hotel terrace – perhaps local char with white wine mousse and something from the extensive wine list – then finish the day with a relaxing swim under the stars in the hotel’s heated indoor-outdoor pool.
For details of entries marked with an asterisk (*), see p72
locals are fond of recalling that Gewürztraminer isn’t popular here, some excellent versions of the aromatic variety are produced.
Nearby at Manincor (manincor.com), Count Michael Goëss-Enzenberg and his wife Sophie are hands-on at their biodynamic estate, in an idyllic setting with sheep and chickens among the vines, a stunning manor house dating from 1608 and a modern underground cellar; no wonder it was chosen as the setting for the 2021 TV mini-series The Winemaker (Good Friends Filmproduktion). Barrels are made from estate-grown wood and the wines, including the Mason Pinot Nero, share an elegance that reflects the location.
Horses and oxen are among the animals grazing the vineyards at the Alois Lageder winery (aloislageder.eu), a collection of atmospheric farm buildings in Magrè at the southern end of the Strada del Vino. Many of the wines have Demeter biodynamic certification, and the top range, which ages to the sounds of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, includes an exceptional Chardonnay and a historic field blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, Cabernet Franc and Merlot from 140-year-old vines at the Löwengang estate. But they’re mere youngsters compared to a vine planted in the village in 1601, a natural monument that’s still producing grapes today.
Alto Adige is the diamond tip of the Italian wine scene and much of its wine never leaves the region – all the more reason to plan a trip to this extraordinary wine-lover’s wonderland.