South Tyrol's wine experts agree: 2022 will be a great vintage, especially for heavy red wines, which benefited from above-average temperatures in the summer. But white wines are also developing surprisingly well in all growing regions in the province and are exceptionally strong, yet fresh and fruity.

Record-breaking temperatures were already recorded in May 2022, resulting in early and rapid flowering even at higher altitudes. And because the summer months of June, July, and August were also exceptionally hot and dry, the vegetation head start was maintained, and in most locations the grapes could be harvested two or even three weeks earlier than the average for the year. "The 2022 wine-growing year started with relatively late budding, but due to the hot weather, it turned out to be a very early year," explains Hansjörg Hafner, head of viticulture at the Advisory Ring for Fruit and Viticulture.

Red wines in particular benefited from the heat, dryness, and the opportunity to allow the grapes to ripen optimally. "Overall, 2022 is a very good vintage for red wines," explains Hafner, looking at all growing regions. The expert particularly highlights Merlot and Cabernet, for which he expects "an above-average vintage."

For the white varieties, Hafner cites "good sugar levels, below-average acidity, and very healthy grapes" as keywords that characterize the 2022 vintage. "Despite the hot summer and early start to the harvest, it is a good vintage for white wines," says the expert from the advisory group, who believes that even in such an unusual year, the classic characteristics of South Tyrolean white wines will remain intact.

Bolzano: "A huge vintage" for red wines with surprising whites

Stephan Filippi, cellar master at the Bolzano Winery, raves about "picture-perfect grapes" when he thinks of the harvest. And the raving continues when he describes the 2022 vintage – especially for red wines. "2022 will be a huge vintage," predicts the Bolzano cellar master. The 2022 Pinot Noir, for example, is developing into a powerful, fruity, highly interesting wine, and Lagrein, Merlot, and Cabernet also show great promise. "They are intensely colored, powerful, compact, with great fruit and wonderful length," says Filippi. In addition, they have beautiful, ripe and therefore fine tannins on the palate. Only the Vernatsch was a cause for concern at first. "It had little color and we feared that it would develop little fruit," says Filippi, "but it proved us wrong: 2022 is a very good vintage for Vernatsch and St. Magdalener."

The Bolzano Winery is also surprised by the development of the 2022 white wines. Initially, there were fears that the wines might lack acidity due to their high sugar content. "Our concern was that the whites would turn out to be heavier and broader," says Filippi, but: "They do have slightly less acidity, but they are still very enjoyable to drink."

Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio in particular have developed very interestingly, Gewürztraminer is very fruity and promises to be an interesting vintage, Sauvignon has also surprised us, and Müller Thurgau promises to be a picture-perfect vintage. "Basically, you could say that all the wines from the 2022 vintage are developing uniformly at a very, very high level," concludes Filippi. "We are certainly looking forward to it."

Überetsch: "Everything just came together"

Matthias Hauser, cellar master at the Castel Sallegg winery in Kaltern, doesn't have to think long when it comes to his verdict on the 2022 vintage: "A great vintage," says Hauser. The red wines in Überetsch in particular benefited from full ripeness thanks to the warm summer. "They no longer have any green accents, but instead have more extract, more ingredients, a distinctive character, and good storage potential," says the cellar master at Castel Sallegg. The white wines, on the other hand, are characterized by a beautiful fruitiness. "They are of medium body, so not as dense as in other years," says Hauser, "but I find it exciting to bring out such vintage facets."

The 2022 Kalterersee is very expressive, dense, and delicate, which the Kalterer cellar master says is "a great vintage." The same applies to the Pinot Noir, whose perfect ripeness allowed "us to play with the elegance that this grape variety brings," says Hauser, who smiles when asked about the 2022 Merlot and Cabernet. "Everything just came together, the profile of both varieties is almost perfect in 2022."

Among the white wines, the cellar master highlights the Gewürztraminer ("It's not full-bodied, but delicate, filigree, and fruity"), but especially the Sauvignon. "The 2022 Sauvignon is a very beautiful, exciting vintage with sparkling fruit," explains Hauser, "I like it almost best of all the white wines."

Unterland: From concern to surprise to exceptional wines

2022 was a turbulent year for the wine industry in the Unterland region. "We had serious concerns in the summer due to the heat," explains Willi Stürz, cellar master at the Tramin winery. However, the grapes were exceptionally healthy and optimally ripe, and the young wines developed very well in the cellar.

The high daytime temperatures had a particularly negative impact on Pinot Blanc grapes in the warmest hillside vineyards, while those in cooler locations developed very well. Pinot Grigio, on the other hand, was of consistently very good quality. "Aromatic varieties such as Sauvignon withstood the warm temperatures and retained their fruit components," explains the cellar master. Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer coped well with the higher daytime temperatures: "The Chardonnay was able to develop its full elegance and finesse, while the Gewürztraminer developed fine floral components as well as exciting spicy nuances that are typical of the Unterland region anyway," says Stürz. As for the red varieties, Pinot Noir wines are rich in extract, fresh, and harmonious. For Vernatsch, 2022 is an outstanding vintage with fine tannins and a fruit character that, as the cellar master explains, "leans toward lively cherry fruit." For strong, late-ripening red wine varieties, it was even "one of the best vintages of the last ten years," according to Stürz. "Lagrein, Merlot, and Cabernet in particular found optimal conditions, which are now reflected in density, expression, and ripe tannins," says the Traminer cellar master, adding: "In general, 2022 is an impressive vintage with some outstanding top qualities."

Burggrafenamt: Historic reds and interesting whites

Stefan Kapfinger, cellar master at the Merano Winery, predicts nothing less than a historic vintage, especially for red wines. "I've never experienced a year like this before," says Kapfinger, adding that everything came together perfectly: "The grapes were ripe, the sugar content was right, and we were able to leave the grapes on the vine until the ideal harvest time," says the Merano cellar master.

Pinot Noir, for example, found ideal conditions and will be bottled slightly darker and more robust. "Its structure, fullness, and ripeness also ensure that it will be very long-lasting," says Kapfinger. His verdict on Cabernet is similar, but especially so for Lagrein: "I have rarely experienced such a profound, powerful Lagrein with such great structure," says the cellar master. "The 2022 Lagrein will certainly go down in history." Finally, 2022 will also be a special vintage in Burggrafenamt for Vernatsch, which will be more powerful, darker, and certainly longer-lasting. Among the white varieties, Stefan Kapfinger particularly highlights Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay. "These varieties do not need the cool nights as much as others and present themselves with beautiful maturity and fullness," says the Merano cellar master. Gewürztraminer has also benefited from the high temperatures and is developing with lots of fruit and great expressiveness. Finally, the 2022 Sauvignon is exceptional. "It is developing very strongly, with pronounced fruit, playful and with more pronounced notes of exotic fruits," explains Kapfinger. "This makes it complex and exciting."

Eisack Valley: A vintage of full-bodied, powerful white wines

As the northernmost wine-growing region in South Tyrol, the Eisack Valley was least affected by the heat and drought of this summer. "Especially in the days before the harvest, the grapes were able to benefit from cooler nights and thus from large temperature differences between day and night," explains Hannes Munter, cellar master at the Eisacktal Winery. Nevertheless, the harvest in the Eisack Valley began about ten days earlier than in other years, which posed organizational and logistical challenges for the winegrowers in particular.

Due to the warm summer and fall, the sugar content in the Eisack Valley was also higher than in other years, but the resulting higher alcohol content is well integrated and the wines are surprisingly easy to drink, explains the cellar master. Overall, however, the vintage for white wines in the Eisack Valley is a very good one, according to Munter: "The wines have more structure than in other years; they are more full-bodied, stronger, and creamier."

As far as the most important Eisack Valley varieties are concerned, Munter primarily highlights Grüner Veltliner, which benefits enormously from its exceptionally creamy structure, explains the cellar master of the Eisack Valley Winery. Kerner has also developed surprisingly well: "Despite a slightly longer fermentation time, it has a lot of fruit and interesting tea and chamomile notes and is very pleasant to drink," says Munter. Sylvaner is similarly fruity, with the special feature of the 2022 vintage being that it is dominated by ripe rather than green notes.

Vinschgau: A mature, elegant vintage for red and white wines

Last year's exceptionally hot summer is also reflected in the 2022 vintage wines from Vinschgau. The high temperatures have resulted in a ripe, elegant vintage, which is characterized by less acidity than in other years, especially in the Burgundy varieties. "Riesling, on the other hand, benefited from the cool September, which kept the acidity levels very good," explains Magdalena Pratzner, who runs the Falkenstein winery in Naturns. "And the same applies to wines from higher altitudes."

Pratzner's overall assessment of the red varieties from the Vinschgau Valley is correspondingly positive. "2022 is a very good red wine vintage," says the oenologist, "with a strong color and good acidity." In addition, there are fine aromas and tannins that characterize the red 2022 vintage. The Naturns oenologist is similarly positive about the 2022 Vinschgau white wine vintage. "The white wines are particularly mineral, with beautiful fruit and good acidity," explains Pratzner, who particularly highlights the Kerner: "It is developing very well," she says. When asked for her overall assessment of the 2022 Vinschgau white wines, Magdalena Pratzner replies: "All in all, 2022 is a very elegant white wine vintage."