Two historical wineries intrinsically linked with the town ...
... the Gries winery (founded in 1908) and Santa Maddalena winery (founded in 1930) joined forces in 2001 to form the
Cantina Produttori Bolzano, South Tyrol's youngest winegrowers' co-operative winery.
The Cantina Produttori Bolzano is jointly owned by the growers who supply the winery with their grapes. They were unanimous in their support for the union, which will result in more effective use of resources, as well as greater market penetration and international recognition for their superb quality wines.
These characteristic South Tyrolean wines are produced using skill and dedication accumulated over decades of experience, both in the vineyards and in the cellar.
T wo of South Tyrol's most prestigious wines ...
... St. Magdalener and Lagrein are grown around Bolzano and in the surrounding area.
Today we can proudly assert that the grapes which go into the two prestigious wines most closely associated with Bolzano are grown in very finest sites and only the highest quality fruit is delivered to our winery.
The hamlets of Santa Maddalena, Santa Giustina and Coste supply the grapes for St. Magdalena, while Lagrein grapes are grown mainly at Gries. Vineyards at San Giorgio, Guncina, Settequerce, San Maurizio and Missiano also lie within the production area. Soils there are perfect for the production of world-class wines. Other determining factors are environmentally friendly cultivation methods, enormous application and hard work put in by the growers, and rigorous selection of only the best quality, healthiest grapes at harvest time. Our members know that quality starts in the vineyard.
Our vineyards are world famous, though not only for the magnificent landscape.
Vines were already being cultivated in the Bolzano valley basin in Roman times. In the Prague Decree of 1370, the "Bozenär" was declared one of the five best red wines of that period.
Vineyards in the undulating valley floor are characterised by deep, alluvial, warm and well-aerated soils, while soils in the sun-drenched hillsides are light and sandy. The enormous diversity of soils and microclimates enables us to produce an enviable variety of wines, each grown under ideal conditions.
St. Magdalener is produced from red grapes belonging to the Schiava family and the variety performs best when grown using our traditional pergola trellising system. Other varieties are for the most part grown using international training methods.
Here our wines mature under the constant supervision of top winemakers. Skill, along with intuition, instinct, flair are important requisites in winemaking, and our winery staff are acutely aware of the need for constant checks and observation.
Our winemakers can avail themselves of state-of-the-art technology for pressing, fermentation and guiding the new wine along its path to maturity. In our cellars gleaming stainless steel tanks feature alongside traditional oak casks and French oak barriques to ensure each wine is matured under optimum conditions. This is where the finishing touches are put to wines deriving from the most varied sites around Bolzano: white wines characterised by a fresh and fruity bouquet such as Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio full flavoured and aromatic white wines such as Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, Müller Thurgau and Silvaner red wines including the light-textured but delicious St. Magdalener, as well as richer and more full-bodied wines including Pinot Noir, Lagrein, Merlot and Cabernet.