Blog: Kurtatsch Winery | South Tyrol

Excellent wines are primarily created in the vineyard. Therefore, at the Kurtatsch Winery, the members - who do the work in the vineyard - are the protagonists. The fact that only manual labor plays a role in this is already shown by the very small structure: 180 members carefully cultivate 180 hectares according to a strict quality program. These are located - uniquely for South Tyrol - in a municipality at 220 to 900 meters above sea level. In the vineyards, there has always been a relationship between farmer and vine, which is reinforced by the small structure of the winery. In the cellar, Kurtatsch aims to produce wines that concisely reflect the different soils and locations of the vineyards. The prerequisite for this is a gentle and precise aging of the individual vineyards. The knowledge and experience gained from centuries of viticulture in the community coupled with modern technology are just as important as the diligence and passion of the cellar master and his staff in the cellar. Whether a velvety, intense Merlot from the warm Brenntal or a fresh, crisp Müller Thurgau from the high altitude Graun. The wines taste like Kurtatsch. With each part of the village different and yet always distinctive.

Unique to South Tyrol, the Kurtatsch vineyards range in altitude from 220 to 900 meters. The majority of them on steep slopes - whether in Brenntal, one of the hottest locations in South Tyrol, or in the district of Graun at 900 meters above sea level. The soil composition of the municipal area is exceptionally varied. Due to the additional, different orientation of the terrain, the various grape varieties find the best growing conditions. Each wine is characterized by its terroir, the term that combines all climatic, geological and geographical characteristics.Site by site. Wine for wine.

On the slopes below Kurtatsch (220-300 meters above sea level) are our best red vineyards, which with maximum temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius in midsummer are among the hottest sites in Italy. The Merlot grapes ripen in the very steeply sloping vineyards of the Brenntal site. The vines stand on a heavy, red clay soil - which has great similarities to the renowned French Pomerol. Below the imposing rock walls on which the village of Kurtatsch towers, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc find the best conditions: loose, deep soils with a high percentage of gravel. The back heat of the Millawände (foothills of the Mendel ridge) favors optimal physiological ripeness of the late-ripening Cabernet grapes.

Our best white wines thrive in the breezy elevations above the main village. The hamlets of Hofstatt and Penon, or rather their vineyards, lie above an altitude of 550 meters above sea level. The microclimate in this partly adventurously steep terrain is co-determined by the cooling downdrafts that start in the evening. The distinctive temperature differences between day and night preserve the fresh flavors and lively acidity. The slender, calcareous soils of sediment and primary rock further characterize the white wines. The colorful spectrum of mineral salts sustainably promotes the aging potential in the bottle. - Gerardo [TS07/22]

"The Kurtatsch winery underwent a remarkable rise in the 1980s, establishing itself as one of South Tyrol's leading cooperatives. In time, it has urged its members to focus on high-quality vines instead of Vernatsch, which is overrepresented in South Tyrol, and to plant them in a way that is appropriate to their location - an elementary prerequisite for reorganizing viticulture along qualitative lines. In addition, Arnold Terzer, chairman of the cooperative since 1989, selected the best areas from the member-owned vineyards to produce a good half dozen selection wines and bottle them as 'Höfeweine'. In this way, it was possible to make better use of the huge, previously unexploited site potential that the Kurtatscher possess. In 1990, Terzer then launched a red wine for the first time, which was immediately declared one of the first growths by the wine press: the Cabernet Riserva 'Freienfeld'. In the following years, the Kurtatscher have brought top qualities to the market with beautiful regularity, especially in the dark red wines. With the Merlot 'Brenntal', the winery has succeeded in producing another very good red wine." - Dr. Jens Priewe