Respect for Nature and No Hocus Pocus

“Five hectares, respect for nature, and no hocus pocus.” The philosophy of an estate winery cannot be described more briefly – or more accurately – than Kurt Rottensteiner does for his Brunnenhof in Egna. A philosophy that is also supported by the fact that the Brunnenhof is situated in Mazzon, one of Alto Adige’s best Pinot Noir areas.

Nature has therefore meant well for the vineyards of the Brunnenhof in Egna-Mazzon, for which the Rottensteiner family is grateful: since 2011, they have been running their estate winery according to ecological guidelines, and it is organic certified. “Our vineyards need to stay lively,” Kurt Rottensteiner says, since “The more vitality and fullness in the vineyards, the more will later on be in the wine.”

That holds true without making sacrifices for all of the locations and varieties at the Brunnenhof. Manzoni Bianco grapes have been thriving on the scree cone of the Rio Trodena and, since 1921, Lagrein vines! Added to these are Gewürztraminer, and Yellow Muscat, but above all else Pinot Noir. “The sandy loam soils, the wind exposure, the midday sun, the Ora wind from Lake Garda, and the cool nights: all of these are the perfect conditions,” explains Rottensteiner.

And the winegrower also abstains from hocus pocus above all else in the winery. In the vaulted cellars of the Brunnenhof that stay pleasantly cool in the summer, white and red wines mature, whereby the latter are without any small oak casks. “We don’t want the tannin and the vanilla flavor of wood, but rather more of the wine’s own tannins and its own fruit,” says Rottensteiner, aiming for wines that tell their own story. Without, in fact, any hocus pocus.