Blog: Muri Gries | South Tyrol
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The eventful history of Muri-Gries
The history of Muri-Gries dates back to the 11th century, when the Counts of Bolzano built a fortified base in the center of 'Cheller', today's 'Gries'. The name Gries first appears around 1185 and later replaces the old name 'Cheller'. In 1407, Duke Leopold donated the castle to the homeless Augustinian canons, who converted it into a monastery.

It was the Counts of Bolzano who built a fortified base in the center of the former 'Cheller', today's 'Gries', around the 11th century - as a counterpoint to the city of Bolzano, which was ruled by the bishops of Trento at the time. The name Gries first appears around 1185. However, it was not until the 15th century that it replaced 'Cheller', the old name of the area. Meinhard II von Görz-Tirol resided as an independent sovereign in the castle of Gries, which was already equipped with a mighty keep around 1200. This is still preserved today in the bell tower. In 1407, Duke Leopold, ruler of Tyrol, donated the castle to the homeless Augustinian canons, whose monastery in the Au was flooded. The castle complex is converted into a monastery. In 1416, a two-aisled Gothic church is built on the site of the old castle chapel, but this loses its function again in 1788 when the new Baroque church is built.

In 1845, Muri-Gries was finally born: the Benedictine monks, who had been expelled from the Muri monastery in the Swiss canton of Aargau, founded in 1027, moved into the now dissolved Augustinian monastery of Gries. A new chapter in the centuries-old history of the castle and monastery of Gries begins: the history of Muri-Gries. Almost 30 hectares of vineyards, 52 hectares of orchards, a mountain farm in Kampidell near Jenesien with 145 hectares of meadows and forest, livestock farming - 45 large cattle units are kept in the stables - and timber management are now part of the agricultural business of Muri-Gries Monastery. In addition, there is the monastery nursery with the well-tended monastery garden, which also provides the floral decorations for the church. For centuries, the monastery was self-sufficient in terms of agricultural produce and food. For a long time, the self-pressed wine was also mainly used for the monastery's own needs.

The arrival of the Benedictine monks from Muri in 1845 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the history of viticulture at the Gries monastery. The monks took their rule 'ora et labora' seriously in the monastery vineyards too. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Muri-Gries winery opens up. The first major wine sales are made with open wine shipments via the Brenner Pass to the northern German-speaking countries. The open wine trade begins: St. Magdalener and Malvasier, Lagrein Kretzer (Rosè) and Ruländer are the main wines that mature in the old cellars.

1968 marks a decisive turning point for the monastery winery: For the first time, the company's own wines are bottled on a large scale in the winery itself. The classic open wine business continued for a few more years, especially on the local South Tyrolean market. However, a consistent focus on quality increasingly prevails. In 1985, Lagrein finally moved to the top of the winery's wine hierarchy. Lagrein begins to show its true profile. Muri-Gries recognizes the value of the old, indigenous and often neglected grape varieties.

The awareness of its own tradition is being revived. Relying on the quality of its own grape varieties, working with its own resources and building on them became the secret of the monastery winery's success. Today, Muri-Gries is a classic winery with 85% red wines and 15% white wines. Among the reds, Lagrein clearly dominates with 80%. The rest is divided between Vernatsch with St. Magdalener and Kalterersee Auslese, Blauburgunder and Rosenmuskateller. Among the white wines, Pinot Blanc, Ruländer, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer take center stage. Well over 90% of production is now sold as quality wines in 0.75-liter bottles. - Gerardo [TS02/24]