Passion for wine, a love of detail and joy in their profession: The winners of the Wine Culture Award exemplify these qualities. This year’s award was presented to two ambassadors for Alto Adige wines and the wine culture of the region, namely the “Vinzenz - zum feinen Wein” restaurant in Vipiteno and the “Daniel Hütte”. We met up with them to find out more about the things that motivate them from day to day, and how they transform the cultural heritage of Alto Adige wines into a tangible experience.

Restaurant “Vinzenz zum feinen Wein”
Interview with sommelier Veronika Stötter

1. When did your love for Alto Adige wines begin?
   
   Daniel and I (editor’s note: Veronika Stötter and Daniel Planer run the restaurant together) and have been involved in the wine sector for over 20 years. Daniel first started working in this field immediately after graduating from agricultural college; initially, he worked as an apprentice at the Lageder vinotheque in Bolzano followed by a few years at Manincor winery, after which he returned to Alois Lageder, where he worked in sales. At the beginning of 2009 we opened the “Vinzenz zum feinen Wein” vinotheque in Sterzing, in my parents’ house.
   
   I, on the other hand, graduated in Public Relations in Milan, after which I took a sommelier course in Bolzano and began to work in the local hospitality sector, which is when my own love of wine began to take shape.
   
   We spent a lot of time travelling around to tasting sessions and visiting local vineyards. This was very important to us, as it is only through direct contact with winegrowers that one can really learn about wines, their origins and their characteristic features, and thus gain a better understanding of connections and develop one’s expertise.
   
   
2. How do you incorporate the Alto Adige wine culture into your everyday lives?
   
   We’ve been doing it for over 20 years, as we work with wine on a daily basis and have built up a sizeable cellar: depending on how much we purchase, the number of labels we carry varies from 750 to 900 different wines. We source our wines with meticulous care together with the vintners before adding them to our wine list. We change our by-the-glass range every week, and offer our guests wine pairings matched to our menu every day.
   
   We always offer our guests a sample taste. We then consult with them and bear their preferences in mind when giving them an overview and explanation of Alto Adige wines.
   
   
3. How do you share with this culture with your guests?
   
   It is important to us that our staff know their wines, and are capable of explaining the characteristics of the various grapes, and of giving good recommendations. 80% of the wines that are drunk here are recommendations!
   
   For this reason, we spend some time every day speaking to our staff about our open bottles, and analyse their differences together. We regularly take staff who are interested along with us on “training tours” to our partners, the wine producers. During these trips to cellars and tasting sessions, they have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and affinity with Alto Adige wines. We often give them a bottle or two to take home, so that they can taste it in their free time too.
   
   Of course, pouring our guests a glass of wine is not all we do; we also explain what they are drinking and tell them about the terroir of the wine. If they are particularly interested, we are always happy to give them more information about the wine, the grape varietal, the winemaker, the vineyard, the vinification methods and the work in the vineyard. We also store a few vintage bottles from Alto Adige producers, which we uncork when they reach the ideal drinking age.
   
   
4. What distinguishes your business from others?
   
   From the very beginning, we have always avoided trendy drinks and mixed cocktails such as Spritz Veneziano and soft drinks like, for example, cola. We serve sparkling wines from Alto Adige as aperitifs, and also offer other traditional non-alcoholic beverages such as organic Alto Adige apple juice or apple and apricot juice.
   
   
5. How important is the quality of food and wine to you?
   
   The quality of our core products is essential. As a Slow Food company, we source our foods directly from the suppliers, and aim to keep our wholesale purchases to a minimum. The core products must be of the highest quality, which also eases the workload in the kitchen. We avoid large wholesaler lists, and select each and every wine with great care to provide our guests with a guarantee of quality, so that they know they can trust our recommendations and try out a new wine from time to time.
   
   
6. What do you love about Alto Adige wines?
   
   Alto Adige is a very special region with an immense variety in a small area which, in our opinion, is undercultivated and appreciated even by the people of Alto Adige themselves. The various microclimates in the winegrowing areas of Alto Adige boast an enormous array of grape varietals and terrains. The Alto Adige wine producers and the many small-scale winegrowers ensure that old traditions and new skills can head towards the future hand in hand, and that viticulture will continue to occupy its central role in our region.