There is Just More Sky Up Above
In the Upper Val Venosta is found the highest vineyard in Europe
Four-star ratings are rare for vineyards. But the Calvenschlössl Winegrowing Estate in Laudes in the community of Mallesbegan with a vineyard at 1,000 meters and even went a step further in
2013. Or, to put it better, higher. In the monastery meadow of the
Benedictine Abbey of Marienberg, Europe’s highest vineyard was planted. The German word for vineyard is Weinberg, meaning wine mountain, and that can completely be taken literally here.
In 2004, Hilde Van den driesacquired the Calvenschlössl castle. “Immediately afterward, the desire
came upon us to make top-quality organic wine,” Van den dries says. But
that is easier said than done, since the slopes around the house are not
only steep, they also are situated at elevations between 970 and 1,005
meters above sea level.
In any case, the extreme locations have
also turned out to be a stroke of luck. The southern exposure bestows
upon the grapes ample sunshine, the elevation provides coolness, from
which grapes with high sugar levels and prominent acidities result. In
addition, in both vineyards the focus is not only on resistant grape
varieties such as Solaris, Souvignier Gris, Zweigelt, and Cabernet Cortis, but also on careful dealings with nature and thus on a holistic method of agriculture.
And
that also holds true in the winery. “The energy from the spontaneous
fermentation from the natural yeast strains of the grapes lend our wines
their unmistakable finesse and their unique character,” Van den dries
is convinced. The elevation is therefore not the only special ingredient
in the wine from the Calvenschlössl Wine Estate in Laudes.
Тел. +39 347 8186362
vandendries@brennercom.net
http://calvenschloessl.eu