In the 1930s, the Ebnerhof in Campodazzo was purchased as a ticket to freedom. Today, it is the realm of Brigitte and Florian Unterthiner, who since 2013 have been making the grapes from their vineyards into wine completely on their own. And that, too, is a form of freedom.

Josef, Florian’s grandfather, was the first Unterthiner to be a farmer at the Ebnerhof in Campodazzo. His family purchased the farm in order to bring an early end to his military service in Rome. Indispensable as a farmer, Josef was provided with his discharge papers, he was allowed to return to Alto Adige, and he could build an existence at the Ebnerhof.

Since that time, a great deal has occurred at the farm (and not just there). The two generations after Josef lent a hand here, devoted themselves to winegrowing with heart and soul, the basis of which is 4.5 hectares of grape growing areas on a rock terrace above Campodazzo at the southernmost edge of the Valle Isarco. “Our red wine varieties grow on the southern slopes, and the white wine grapes are on the well-ventilated southeastern locations,” explains Florian Unterthiner.

The Unterthiners manage their vineyards gently. Only cow manure is used as fertilizer, herbicides are completely avoided, and the grapevines are irrigated only in situations of drought stress. “In that way, they get all of the nutrients from deep down in the soil, which supports the root system of the vines,” Unterthiner says.

And work in the winery is similarly consistent. “With the preparation of the wine, it is important for us to test the boundaries without going beyond them,” the winegrower from the Ebnerhof says. “We trust our experience and our feeling and in that way create wines that are profound, full-bodied, and well structured.”