White wines

In terms of white wines, the early-ripening vineyards performed very well in 2011. "The cool August allowed the grapes to develop a nice acidity and minerality," reports Otmar Donà, cellar master at the Kurtatsch Winery. For Stefan Kapfinger, cellar master at the Merano Winery, the most impressive wines are "powerful Pinot Blancs, fresh, typical Müller Thurgaus, and very exotic Sauvignons." Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Gewürztraminer stand out in particular, having coped very well with the warm autumn.

In the higher white wine regions, which include the Eisack Valley and the Vinschgau Valley, "the high temperatures during the harvest period resulted in high sugar levels and lower acidity," says Hannes Baumgartner from Strasserhof in Neustift. The whites here are very fruity and aromatic, smooth and full-bodied. However, here and there they lack some of their typical freshness and crispness. "Riesling, Kerner, and Sylvaner, however, naturally have more acidity and therefore did not suffer as much from the heat," says Baumgartner. For him, the Veltliners in the Eisack Valley stand out in 2011, "which, with their fullness, can certainly compete with those from the Wachau."
According to Stefan Kapfinger, "the Rieslings in particular score highly in the Vinschgau Valley, with slightly less minerality but crisp fruitiness and a strong aroma and expressiveness."

The red wines

When it comes to the red wines of 2011, everyone agrees: Lagrein is the absolute front-runner. Christian Werth, cellar master at the Muri Gries monastery winery, has rarely seen such ripe and extremely healthy grapes in his cellar. "There has hardly ever been such an outstanding Lagrein vintage as 2011," says the Bolzano cellar master happily: "The wines are dense and concentrated, with acidity levels slightly above the normal average. And the base wines are already very enjoyable to drink thanks to their softness and maturity."

Where there was no hail, the cellar masters are also very satisfied with the Vernatsch wines. "In 2011, we finally have a typical, drinkable, and fresh Vernatsch again," enthuses Josef Brigl. "The early Vernatsch harvest due to the cherry vinegar fly did not harm the wines," Stefan Kapfinger is also convinced. On the contrary. And even in the Unterland region, Otmar Donà has "Vernatsch with a bright color, lots of acidity and lots of fruit – as rarely before." Kalterersee and St. Magdalener are not as full-bodied as in the last two years, but they are very fruity and drinkable – just as a Vernatsch should be. The Pinot Noir grapes also arrived in the cellars perfectly ripe. And everyone is raving about the 2011 Cabernet and Merlot qualities. "One of the best vintages of the last two decades," the cellar masters are convinced: "The density, color intensity, and fruit sweetness of the wines beat everything else – we are dealing with the highest level and perfect quality!" The ideal autumn weather did a great job here. The cellar masters rate the red wines of the vintage as "very good to excellent" across the board. The South Tyrolean white wines are rated "good to very good." They are unanimously convinced that 2011 is definitely "an exciting vintage with some absolute highlights." "The 2011 vintage is very clearly expressed in the wines," emphasizes Christian Werth. "Wine becomes a mirror of nature and the respective vintage—and that's what makes it so exciting for everyone. For the winegrowers as well as for us cellar masters and all wine lovers and connoisseurs."