Uncommon Location, Uncommon Variety

At unusual locations, the focus has to be on unusual varieties. Or, to express it better, on extraordinary varieties. Konrad Delazer and his family do precisely that. At the Häuslerhof in Naz-Sciaves, and thus at the northernmost end of Alto Adige’s winegrowing zone, the Delazers work with Portugieser.

This grape is an old variety, the origins of which have to be sought in what is now Slovenia. It came into existence there as a cross between Blaue Zimmettraube and Green Sylvaner, and today it is a popular grape variety above all else in Southeastern Europe. In Central Europe, on the other hand, its area of cultivation is dwindling more and more. The decision by the Delazer family to work with precisely this variety at their Häuslerhof therefore means: swimming upstream.

Konrad Delazer does this with his wife, Karin – as the former Queen of the Apple Festival, “Her Majesty” – and their children Sabrina and Philipp on at least a part of their area of cultivation, which is situated at an impressive 820 meters above sea level. “We place great emphasis on Portugieser, but we also work with classic white wine varieties such as Müller Thurgau,” Konrad Delazer explains. “In the end, the Valle Isarco is an ideal white wine zone.”

Keeping his manageable vineyard area running matches perfectly with the lifestyle of Konrad Delazer. He may be a passionate winegrower, but for many years, he earned his daily bread as a cook. And in addition to that, Delazer is also something else that is not so frequently thought of with the traditional image of cook and winegrower: a certified mountain bike guide.