Crystal-clear air, glowing colours, fine wine
17.10.2022

Crystal-clear air, glowing colours, fine wine

Wine tours of Alto Adige make for a special autumn experience

Alto Adige in autumn means crystal-clear air, bright blue skies, agreeable temperatures and glowing colours. Above all, however, autumn in Alto Adige means that the new wine has arrived. And, because this is the main attraction of törggelen (sampling new wine with roasted chestnuts), autumn is also one of the best seasons to undertake a wine tour of Alto Adige: whether in leisurely fashion in a camper van, or more actively on foot or by bike.

Taste the new wine; toast the older vintages: this tradition is renewed by wine lovers year on year with törggelen. The winegrowers will have their new wine ready in the cellars, as well as time for a chat with those who wish to learn more about Alto Adige’s great whites and reds.
Wine walks

Many of the wine estates and cellars are located along hiking trails and are revealed in all their beauty in the autumn months. These wine trails lead over the hillsides where it is still pleasantly warm in autumn, running through vineyards that now turn red and golden and, thanks to the normally stable good weather, can usually be walked without any worries. Wine lovers can also stop off at various producers where they can taste vintages old and new.

There are wine trails running through all of Alto Adige’s winegrowing regions: every one is a worthwhile destination for wine lovers. Here are a few tips:

  • Bozen: Kandlerhof
    The St. Oswald Promenade in Bozen leads over the slopes where the grapes for the St. Magdalener grows and the wines of the Kandlerhof await walkers.
  • Kaltern: Nicolussi-Leck estate and the Cantina Kaltern winery
    There are also wonderful walks around Lake Kaltern in autumn while, for culture enthusiasts, the ruins of Leuchtenburg castle are a fascinating destination. Both tours can be completed with a stop at the Nicolussi-Leck estate (bed & breakfast also available) or at the Cantina Kaltern winery.
  • Margreid: Alois Lageder estate
    The educational trail from Kurtatsch to Margreid not only leads through some of the most beautiful wine regions of Alto Adige’s south, but also offers interesting information on this wine-producing region and its wines. It also passes the “Paradeis” restaurant, part of the biodynamic Alois Lageder estate.
  • Marling: Pardellerhof
    Wine lovers will also enjoy a hike along the Marlinger Waalweg that, with its associated wine culture trail, runs along ancient irrigation channels: the Pardellerhof makes an ideal starting point.
  • Partschins: Stachlburg castle wine estate
    The Peter Mitterhofer Cultural Trail in Partschins is best concluded at the Stachlburg castle wine estate in the village, where you can taste the biodynamic wines produced there.

Wine tours for cyclists

The autumn in Alto Adige also offers ideal conditions for lovers of both wine and cycling, whether they prefer a sporting challenge or a more leisurely E-assisted tour.

  • Kastelbell/Tschars: Castel Juval
    The Vinschgau cycle path, for example, lets you explore the westernmost (and at times driest) vineyards of Alto Adige’s wine country and sample its wines and distillates at Castel Juval Unterortl near Naturns.
  • Partschins: Isser estate
    A little above the Vinschgau cycle path lies the village of Partschins and the historic stately residence of Gaudenz, where the products of the Isser estate are served up.
  • Kurtatsch: Tiefenbrunner Schlosskellerei Turmhof wine estate
    The name of the Alto Adige Wine Route makes its intention clear – so, combined with a stop at the Tiefenbrunner Schlosskellerei Turmhof, one of the wine estates in Kurtatsch, it is an ideal goal for wine-loving bikers.
  • Salurn: Ansitz CEO stately residence
    Those who prefer to explore Alto Adige’s Unterland region by bike, rather than its Überetsch area, can take the cycle path from Auer to Salurn past vineyards and wineries – although “past” can (and should) also mean stopping off for a wine tasting, for example at the Ansitz CEO in Salurn.
  • Völs am Schlern: Prackfol wine estate
    For those who prefer a more Alpine experience, the Oachner Höfeweg (farm trail) below the Schlern massif is the place to be. The trail with its difficult name runs through vineyards located at altitudes of 600 metres and more that offer a magnificent (over)view: of the wine itself and of the landscapes in the very heart of Alto Adige. And, to savour it all a little longer, make a detour to the Prackfol wine estate.
Crystal-clear air, glowing colours, fine wine
Crystal-clear air, glowing colours, fine wine
 
Wine tours as camping trips

Those who prefer a more leisurely experience and want to take a few home comforts on their journey should consider an autumn camping trip to Alto Adige. Wine lovers will find numerous wineries here where they can park up their motorhomes and take a wine break.

It is the variety here that makes Alto Adige’s wine country so special: there are vineyards down in the valleys, along the hillsides and even some that can only be reached via steep mountain roads. There is also a wide range of white and red varieties; small estates and large wineries, young winegrowers and those with centuries of tradition behind them. All can be explored on an autumn camping trip!

  • Brixen: Villscheiderhof estate and farmhouse inn
    Traditional Eisacktal cuisine served up by the winegrowers themselves: the Villscheiderhof farmhouse inn near Brixen combines the best of both worlds – which is actually only one.
  • Brixen: Manni Nössing
    Picturesquely situated above Brixen, the Hoandlhof winery is the workplace of the man known as “Mr Kerner”, Manni Nössing. This former livestock farm has been an independent wine estate since 1999.
  • Girlan/Eppan: Cantina Colerenzio
    One of the most recent wine cooperatives, the Cantina Colterenzio in Girlan has nonetheless been in business for over 60 years now. Not only has the cooperative’s base grown from 26 to 300 winegrowing families over these six decades, but so too has the winery’s reputation.
  • Kaltern: Thomas Pichler winery
    Thomas Pichler from Kaltern is a winemaker who likes to go his very own way – as he has been successfully doing since 2003.
  • Naturns: Falkenstein winery
    The vineyards of the Falkenstein winery are located at between 600 and 900 metres above sea level on the slopes of the Sonnenberg mountain above Naturns. They not only provide the raw material for the estate’s own wines, but also for the types of single-varietal grappa that they distil themselves.
  • Terlan: Kornell winery
    The roots of the Kornell wine estate, like those of the Muri-Gries monastery winery, go deep. The estate can look back on 700 years of winemaking tradition, so a stop here is a must for wine lovers with a sense of history.
  • Unterrain: Cora winery
    The vineyards of the Cora Hof, a small but sophisticated winery, cover just half a hectare and produce Merlot and Goldmuskateller grapes. The estate is located near St. Pauls, one of the major wine villages of the Überetsch region.
Another taste?
More from the world of Alto Adige wine
Back to the list
Impressions of Wine:Experienced, enjoyed, shared
Newsletter
Always up to date with the Suedtirol Wein newsletter