Story: Kurtatsch Winery | South Tyrol
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Outstanding wines are created first and foremost in the vineyard. This is why the members - the winegrowers who tend their vines with passion and care - are at the heart of the Kurtatsch winery. The fact that manual work plays a central role here is already evident in the deliberately small structure: 180 members cultivate 180 hectares of vineyards with great sensitivity, which - uniquely for South Tyrol - are located in a single municipality at altitudes between 220 and 900 meters above sea level. This enormous variation in altitude makes for an extraordinary variety of microclimates and soil types, which means that the wines differ significantly in character and style. The close relationship between winegrower and vine, which has been cultivated over generations, is one of the main pillars of the winery.

In the cellar, the Kurtatsch winery aims to vinify wines that clearly reflect the terroir - the sum of all geological, climatic and geographical conditions. This requires careful, precise vinification of each individual vineyard. This is where centuries-old knowledge of viticulture, state-of-the-art cellar technology and the meticulous work of the cellar master and his team come together. Each wine bears the unmistakable signature of its origin: a velvety, intensely fruity Merlot from the warm Brenntal, a fresh, mineral Müller-Thurgau from the airy heights of Graun - each wine tells its own story and yet remains an authentic ambassador of the region.

A terroir of extremes
The vineyards of the Kurtatsch winery extend at altitudes between 220 and 900 meters - a unique range in South Tyrol. The vines thrive both on the hot, sun-drenched terraces of the Brenntal, one of the warmest locations in South Tyrol, and in the cool, high-altitude vineyards of Graun. This extraordinary range offers ideal conditions for a variety of grape varieties. In addition, the varying soil types - from heavy clay soils to calcareous sedimentary and primary rock soils - ensure an enormous variety of flavors.

Powerful red wines from the hot vineyards
The best red wine sites are located on the sun-exposed slopes below Kurtatsch, at 220 to 300 meters. Here, where temperatures reach up to 40 degrees Celsius in summer, some of the most powerful wines in Italy thrive. The Merlot grapes from the Brenntal vineyard grow in extremely steep vineyards on heavy, red clay soils similar to those of the famous Pomerol in France. Further down, below the imposing Millawände - a foothill of the Mendel ridge - Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc find ideal conditions. The gravel-rich, deep soils and the reflected heat from the rocks promote perfect ripening of the late-ripening grapes.

White wines with alpine character
Some of the best white wines in South Tyrol are produced in the higher altitudes above the village of Kurtatsch. The hamlets of Hofstatt and Penon, whose vineyards extend to over 550 meters, benefit from cool downslope winds that start in the evening and ensure significant temperature differences between day and night. This climatic peculiarity preserves the fresh aromas and lively acidity of the white wines. The calcareous soils, interspersed with sedimentary and primary rock formations, also give the wines a pronounced minerality and impressive ageing potential.

Wines with character and origin
Whether powerful red wines or elegant white wines - every wine from the Kurtatsch winery is a reflection of its surroundings. The careful work of the winegrowers, the geological features and the unique climate characterize the wines and make them authentic ambassadors of their origin. By combining tradition, craftsmanship and state-of-the-art technology, the winery succeeds year after year in creating wines that delight both wine lovers and critics. Kurtatsch stands for distinctive wines that reflect their origins in every nuance - whether in the glass of a connoisseur or in a growing collection of excellent vintages. - Gerardo [TS01/25]

"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