A number, a letter, a winery

Three digits, one letter: 838 m. From its altitude, the Hochegg Estate in Laives has created a distinctive brand – and this already reveals the presence of a mind as creative as it is innovative. Daniel Andergassen – as his surname suggests, originally from Caldaro – learned the craft at his family’s Klosterhof in South Tyrol’s quintessential wine village, and has now established his own winery.

It lies – surprise! – at 838 meters above sea level, perched high above the Adige Valley. At its feet stretches Laives, while the vines grow on steep slopes – as they always have. Indeed, wine has long been produced here, though only for personal use. Under Daniel Andergassen’s guidance, that has changed. “We have completely reimagined this estate,” he says. “Now, the wine takes center stage.”

Around the newly built estate, vines now grow – strictly organically – on freshly terraced plots and in soils rich in skeleton and dominated by porphyry, typical of the area. The combination of soil, altitude, grape varieties, and microclimate clearly works, as shown by the first wines produced by the young winemaker at Hochegg Estate. “They have character,” he says, adding, “and the best is yet to come.”