A challenging vintage

After a very dry and cold winter, it became unusually warm at the end of March. This led to a very early start to vegetation and rapid budding of the vines. The sudden cold snap in the nights around April 20, with severe late frost in some areas, caused considerable damage to many vineyards throughout the country.

A small consolation for winegrowers: in 2017, there were hardly any problems with diseases such as downy mildew and powdery mildew, or with the dreaded cherry vinegar fly. Hailstorms hit some communities in the Unterland and Eisack Valley particularly hard. Farmers had to painstakingly pick and remove the damaged grapes from the vineyards. However, this laborious work helped to ensure that grapes of consistently good quality could be harvested.

The grape harvest in South Tyrol's vineyards began around ten to fourteen days earlier than in a normal year, around August 20. After several days of rain at the start of the harvest, the autumn weather, with temperatures of up to 30 degrees during the day and below 20 degrees at night, had a positive effect on the harvest. South Tyrol's winegrowers and cellar masters are very satisfied with the quality of the grapes harvested.


Surprisingly good quality

After the very good 2016 vintage—with juicy, lively, and complex white wines and promising, structured South Tyrolean red wines—South Tyrol's wine industry is also more than satisfied with the 2017 vintage. Although the yield losses of up to 20 percent and more leave a bitter aftertaste, the quality of the wines across the board is surprisingly good to very good. The vintage presents itself with slightly slimmer but very elegant, fresh, fruity, and juicy white wines with varietal aromas. Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon, Müller Thurgau, and Sylvaner are particularly noteworthy. Vernatsch with St. Magdalener and Kalterersee are slightly lighter in color, fruity and fresh, somewhat leaner, but all the more inviting to drink. Alongside Lagrein, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet are also elegant, with great finesse and delicate tannins.