

07.12.2022
Drink a toast with the fine wines of Alto Adige
Alto Adige sparkling wine for Christmas: the perfect gift of pleasure
Can there be a finer gift than that of pleasure? Yes, actually: two, three or four experiences of pleasure or, best of all, the pleasure that comes with every sip of Alto Adige sparkling wine. So, if you are still looking for the perfect gift for loved ones, acquaintances or business partners, or if you don’t want to turn up empty-handed at a pre-Christmas party, let this be a valuable tip – and a fine one at that!
A century-old tradition
The combination of Christmastime and sparkling wine is no coincidence. After all, we bring out the best from the cellar on special days, whether to accompany a starter or light dish – or “just” to make a toast to Christmas and the coming festive season with our nearest and dearest.
What goes into your glass – assuming it is Alto Adige sparkling wine – is a masterpiece into which flows not only the knowhow of experienced winemakers, but also a tradition that is now over a hundred years old. Alto Adige’s first bottle of sparkling wine was produced in Eppan/Appiano at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, in 1900 to be exact. In the years that followed, this noble product of Alto Adige experienced its first heyday, one that has been revived over the last three decades or so in ten wineries in all of the winegrowing regions of the land.
Fine, handcrafted pleasure
In addition to knowledge and experience, every bottle of Alto Adige sparkling wine also contains the result of a great deal of handcrafting. The wine is produced strictly according to the “metodo classico”, the classic method of sparkling wine production, which requires a second fermentation in the bottle. This in turn will only fully succeed if the bottles are stored at 12C in their fermentation cellar.
Storing here does not mean simply letting the bottles lie still: instead, they have to be constantly turned.
Another aspect of the “metodo classico” is that the wine needs at least 15 months of aging (most Alto Adige sparkling wines, however, are aged for somewhat longer), during which not only are the full aromas of the local cask wines developed, but also what ultimately distinguishes sparkling wine: the fine perlage that is a must for every celebration and party.
S is for sparkling.
Incidentally, anyone looking for Alto Adige sparkling wines at a specialist retailer or in a wine shop should focus on the capsule, which features the Alto Adige sparkling wine logo with the letter “S” in the middle. This “S” stands for the three central terms that count: Südtirol (the German name for Alto Adige); Sekt or sparkling wine; and Spumante, its Italian counterpart. One letter, three central terms, one pleasure. At Christmas – especially – too.
A century-old tradition
The combination of Christmastime and sparkling wine is no coincidence. After all, we bring out the best from the cellar on special days, whether to accompany a starter or light dish – or “just” to make a toast to Christmas and the coming festive season with our nearest and dearest.
What goes into your glass – assuming it is Alto Adige sparkling wine – is a masterpiece into which flows not only the knowhow of experienced winemakers, but also a tradition that is now over a hundred years old. Alto Adige’s first bottle of sparkling wine was produced in Eppan/Appiano at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, in 1900 to be exact. In the years that followed, this noble product of Alto Adige experienced its first heyday, one that has been revived over the last three decades or so in ten wineries in all of the winegrowing regions of the land.
Fine, handcrafted pleasure
In addition to knowledge and experience, every bottle of Alto Adige sparkling wine also contains the result of a great deal of handcrafting. The wine is produced strictly according to the “metodo classico”, the classic method of sparkling wine production, which requires a second fermentation in the bottle. This in turn will only fully succeed if the bottles are stored at 12C in their fermentation cellar.
Storing here does not mean simply letting the bottles lie still: instead, they have to be constantly turned.
Another aspect of the “metodo classico” is that the wine needs at least 15 months of aging (most Alto Adige sparkling wines, however, are aged for somewhat longer), during which not only are the full aromas of the local cask wines developed, but also what ultimately distinguishes sparkling wine: the fine perlage that is a must for every celebration and party.
S is for sparkling.
Incidentally, anyone looking for Alto Adige sparkling wines at a specialist retailer or in a wine shop should focus on the capsule, which features the Alto Adige sparkling wine logo with the letter “S” in the middle. This “S” stands for the three central terms that count: Südtirol (the German name for Alto Adige); Sekt or sparkling wine; and Spumante, its Italian counterpart. One letter, three central terms, one pleasure. At Christmas – especially – too.
Another taste?
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