Alto Adige Wines Awarded Top Grades Worldwide

Renowned international wine guides rank local wines at the very top

Alto Adige wines (and their producers) have firmly established themselves at the pinnacle of the international wine scene, as evidenced by the distinctions and top grades they were once again awarded this year by the five most renowned international wine guides.

No fewer than 83 times were wines from wineries, vineyards, and free wine growers in Alto Adige awarded at least 95 out of 100 possible points by the wine guides Decanter, Robert Parker, Vinum, Falstaff, and James Suckling. The highest rating (99 points) went to the Terlano Rarity 2008 produced by the Cantina Terlano winery, which also received 98 points from Robert Parker – the guide’s highest rating out of all Alto Adige wines. It is particularly impressive that the Cantina Terlano Winery took first place in the “Best White” category at the Decanter World Wine Awards with its Terlano Grand Cuvée 2018. At the 2021 Decanter World Wine Awards, two wines from Alto Adige secured a top spot in what is called the Platinum Category: the Passito Quintessenz Moscato Giallo 2017 produced by the Cantina Kaltern winery and the Lafóa Sauvignon 2019 by the Schreckbichl winery, both of which received 97 points. The Alto Adige wine rated most highly by the 2021 edition of the James Suckling guide, on the other hand, is the Terlano Lieben Aich Sauvignon 2019 by Manincor (98 points), while the wine guide Vinum 2022 placed the Cor
Römigberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 by the Alois Lageder vineyard (96 points) ahead of all other wines from Alto Adige.

Cantina Terlano leads the field

The broad range of wines from Alto Adige is evidenced by the fact that 83 of the best grades were awarded to 60 different wines produced by two dozen wineries, of which this year’s clear winner is Cantina Terlano. It received a total of 17 ratings of 95 points or more for seven different wines. Second place among the producers went to the winery San Michele Appiano (eight top ratings for four wines) and third place to Cantina Tramin (seven top ratings for five wines). 
They are followed by Cantina Kaltern with six top ratings for four wines as well as the
Cantina Girlan winery and the Manincor vineyard, each of which were bestowed five ratings of over 95 points by the international wine guides for four and five different wines, respectively.

Terlano’s wines also receive the most awards

The Cantina Terlano winery also comes at the very top of the list of wines to receive the highest number of distinctions. Their Terlano I Grande Cuvée 2018 took four ratings of over 95 points, as did the Terlano Rarity 2008. The Terlano Riserva Nova Domus 2018 received three ratings of 95 points or more. The same goes for the Alto Adige White Nama 2016 produced by the Nals Margreid winery, the Gewürztraminer vendemmia tardiva Terminum 2018 by Cantina Tramin, as well as the Alto Adige White Appius 2016 and the Sauvignon The Wine Collection 2018 by the San Michele Appiano winery.
Seven wines produced by five different wineries went on to receive top grades from two wine guides each. Represented in this list with two wines each are Cantina Kaltern (Passito Quintessenz Moscato Giallo 2017 and Merlot Riserva Kunst.Stück 2018) and Cantina Terlano with their Terlano Pinot Blanc Riserva Vorberg 2018 and the Terlano Sauvignon Quarz 2019. Two top ratings each were also awarded to the Vigneti delle Dolomiti Chardonnay IGT Löwengang 2018 (Lageder vineyard), the Riserva Vigna Ganger Pinot Noir 2017 (Cantina Girlan) as well as the Passito Juvelo Gewürztraminer 2019 (Cantina Andrian).

Whites trump reds

When comparing white wines with their red counterparts, the winner is clear – at least as far as their appraisal by the five most renowned international wine guides is concerned. Of the 60 white wines from Alto Adige that were awarded 95 points or more, 36 were white, 19 red, and five were sweet wines.
Among the white wines, the Sauvignons (13 best ratings for 10 wines) and Terlanos (11/3) came out on top, followed by Gewürztraminers (10/7), Alto Adige Whites (8/4), Pinot Blancs (7/6) and Chardonnays (6/5), as well as Riesling and Moscato Giallo with two ratings of 95 points or more. Kerner, Sylvaner, and Green Veltliner complete this list with one best grade each.
The undisputed frontrunner, however – and not just among the red wines – is the Pinot Noir, which received twelve top ratings for eleven wines, followed by Cabernet
Sauvignon (3), Lagrein (2), and Merlot (3) in the list of reds.