The Vinson View
Picky Nicky’s got his eye on northern Italy’s local heroes
Picky Nicky lauds some local heroes
It was architect Matteo Thun who first drew me to South Tyrol. It was September 2003 and I was visiting the new Thundesigned Vigilius Mountain Resort, which we were shooting (see W*64). Thun used only local materials to build Vigilius, and he also taught me about moon wood, cut when the moon is waning and the sap content is at its lowest, thus producing better quality lumber. A year or so later I returned for the Merano Wine Festival, where I met winemaker Alois Lageder, scion of the family business, which dates back to 1823. My visit to his estate in Magrè (where casks of wine rest in cellars piping out a Bach lullaby sound installation by artist Mario Airò) left a lasting impression, and we always keep cases of his wine at home.
Lageder told me then that grapes in the region would typically stay on the vines a little longer to get their required sweetness. Climate change means that today’s challenge is how to maintain freshness and acidity. The 55-hectare Lageder estate is farmed biodynamically, and the family work with 80 local growers, who supply the estate with additional grapes. Lageder is also the president of Demeter Italy, which certifies biodynamic food producers. At the Lageder cellar door and restaurant Paradeis, you can taste and buy their wines, but I recommend going for lunch to sample the food, cooked using produce from their own garden, as well as from local biodynamic partners. The little meat on the menu comes from livestock who graze among the vines.
The local terrain, which ranges from 200m to 3,900m, produces a diversity in grape varieties. Gewürztraminer is my particular favourite, and Lageder’s Am Sand is regularly in my fridge. Today, thanks to Lageder and neighbouring producers like Cantina Tramin, a cooperative 8km up the road, wines from this part of Italy are now highly respected. It’s hard to remember that, until the 1980s, this region was known for producing cheap plonk.
Obsessing about quality, taste and local sourcing is the cornerstone of ALPINN, the restaurant perched 2,275m up Mount Kronplatz. Without a doubt, the (Vinson) view has never been better than from my table there, with a panorama that takes in both the Italian Alps and the Dolomites. The interiors are by Martino Gamper, who was born down the road in Merano and has a reputation for reusing and repurposing objects, and the food is by three-michelinstarred chef Norbert Niederkofler. Dishes are prepared with ingredients sourced only from 50 local producers, so no hothouse-grown ingredients in the kitchen, and no olive oil.
I’ve got a real soft spot for this area where there are just so many fine examples of stewardship of local resources. *