Alto Adige Wine Region – Dolomites, Italy

August 2024

Alto Adige Wine Region – Dolomites, Italy

Italy is full of famous wine regions – Tuscany, Pidmonte, Sicily – but did you know that high in the Italian Alps is a wine region that famously produces the best Pinot Noir and white wines in the country? When visiting the Dolomites, make sure to stop at the Alto Adige wine region. 

Due to the local of this region, the influence of wine has been sculpted by many hands and has undergone quite a bit of political turmoil from the Romans all the way through the Nazis. This region became a part of Italy in 1919 and to this day has three official languages of Italian, German, and the local language of Ladin. Because of this, the wine making process is influenced tremendously which sets this wine region apart and feels more like the wines from Germany and Austria than other others in Italy. 

What makes Alto Adige so unique is the mountainous region where the grapes are growing not in the valley like Napa and Somona, but high on the sides of the mountains high in elevation.  While the overall region is small at 13,000 acres, the impact and diversity is vast given the number of different soils and elevation levels that make up six DOC sub-regions. Geographically, this region sits between the towns of Bolzano and Trento.

When we first discovered Alto Adige back home, we drank a Pinot Bianco and it was so fantastic. We were under the impression that this region is primarily a white wine growing region so we were so surprised that when we visited to learn that they also grow a substantial amount of red wine. And in fact, Alto Adige has the best Pinot Noir wines in the country. This is why we love traveling to wine regions as we learn so much more about the area. White wines comprise over 60% of the wine production with grapes including Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer. For reds, the Pinot Noir thrives here at higher elevations where it is hot during the day and cool at night. There is an ancient varietal grown here as well called Lagrein which is very unique to this area. And though it dates back to the 1500s, there is no where else in the world that is growing this grape. When we first tried it, it packs quite a punch of tannins, dark fruit, and pepper notes – similar to Barbera or Syrah – but has this deep purple color to it. 

The drive from Ortisei to the heart of the Alto Adige wine region is under an hour. We kept our day to wineries in the northern area of the region just south of Bolzano. There are so many outstanding wineries to choose from so it certainly made our decision tough but it also means you cannot go wrong. Another thing to note when planning your trip is there is such a high density of Michelin star restaurants in Alto Adige so make sure to take advantage.

Franz Haas Winery

Our first stop of the day was Franz Haas winery. We booked online and ended up being the only two for the tour which was a fun surprise. On their website, they cite that “The winery was founded in 1880 and has been passed down through eight generations to the first-born child of the family, who has the honour and responsibility of carrying the same name, Franz” – which was validated by our guide. The winery is more than just an ordinary winery but also an art exhibit full of creative outlets that bring the wine to life, including their iconic wine label. One part of the tour that was super interesting was to make more room, they built into the mountain which created the perfect cool and moist environment for the wine. The tour ended with a tasting of several of the wines, all of which were very impressive. We loved our morning here and kept our excitement for the rest of the day.

We love a good drive through the vines and what we found interesting is that the valley of the mountains is actually not where you will find the grapes – that are is for thousand of apples. The grapes grow along the mountain inclines which is very unique.

Tiefenbrunner

Our next stop was Tiefenbrunner for their bistro as lunch was a high priority. There is an outdoor terrace here that is dreamy with sculptures, water works, and foliage, all atop the hill. While the menu here is more small bite style, it was exactly what we were looking for in a lunch. We ordered cheese plate along with a focaccia that had stracciatella, tomatoes, and olives on it – everything was simply fantastic! If you are looking for a lighter lunch, this is a great spot. Oh, and the wine is pretty delighful too.

Pfitscher Winery

The reason we made it to this region in the first place was buying a bottle of Pfitscher’s Pinot Bianco so this was a much visit for our day. I booked our tour online so that was easy to set up. We arrived and learned we were once again the only people for our tour – can’t believe we lucked out twice for having private guides. The tasting room is stunning and leans into the view with full floor to ceiling windows. We learned about the winery and the Pfitscher family who are now seven generations into their wine making journey and it is a full family affair.

The second portion of the tour included walking to the barrel room and a history museum, including the family’s personal wine cellar which completely blew our mind. This is the cellar dreams are made of and it was such a treat to get a peek at this area of the winery.

And finally, the tasting. We tried six wines – four white and two red – and we really enjoyed everything. It was a very impressive portfolio and we could not wait to source bottles back home.

We barely scratched the surface of the Alto Adige wine region and I know we will come back in the future as there is just so much more to see and do. There is a sky walk (Skywalk – Monte di Mezzocorona), groges (Rastenbachklamm), stopping by ago di Carezza, hundreds of wineries, restaurants including those with Michelin stars (Kürbishof and Oberholz where high on my list), and even spending time in Bolzano and Trento itself. You can easily spend a long weekend here as part of a larger trip and would encourage you to do so if you have time in your trip.

Continue reading about our week in Dolomites here!

Read all blog posts for the Dolomites here!

Packing in a carry on? Read the full packing list here!

See our complete itinerary here!

Planning your trip? Check out the Perfect One Week Itinerary to the Dolomites here!