The "Glögglhof" is a family vineyard right in the centre of the area covered by the appellation "St. Magdalener - Classic." It lies just beneath the beautiful church of St. Magdalena, which is well worth a visit.
The "Glögglhof", home to three generations of the Gojer family, is both the vintner's farmhouse and his wine-cellar.
The vines grow on the "Glögglhügel," a gentle hill just behind the farmhouse, where the moraine-covered south-eastern slope guarantees ideal insolation and optimal ripening of the grapes in autumn.
St. Magdalener, Lagrein and Merlot wines are produced at the "Glögglhof".
The "Glögglhof" is a family vineyard right in the centre of the area covered by the appellation "St. Magdalener - Classic." It lies just beneath the beautiful church of St. Magdalena, which is well worth a visit.
The farm, which dates back to the 14th Century, has been in the Gojer family for around 180 years. Over the last century, three generations have worked both the house and the vineyards: initially Grandmother Anna Wenter worked as a vintner and Grandfather Florian Rabanser as a cooper. The farm was then passed on to Marianne Rabanser, who married Anton Gojer in 1949. Franz Gojer took over the farm in 1983.
On this traditional farm, vines have always been cultivated - Vernatsch on the hill and Lagrein on the plains of the river Eisack/Isarco - and wine produced from them. The Gojer family then exported this wine to Switzerland in barrels right up until the 1970s. Franz Gojer's takeover of the family business in 1983 coincided with the collapse of the market for St. Magdalener wine in Switzerland. Since then, the Gojer family has gradually turned to bottling and privately selling their entire wine production.
In 1990, the Glöggl vineyard was enlarged by leasing 1.8 hectares of adjacent land, in order to better satisfy the growing demand both from private customers and the catering trade.
In 1996 Franz Gojer planted Merlot vines on a 5,000 m2 former apple orchard, in the southern part of Bozen/Bolzano where the rivers Etsch/Adige and Eisack/Isarco flow into each other.
Since 1991, Bruno Pilzer of the Cembratal/Val di Cembra has been distilling grappa from St. Magdalener marc, which is shaping up well in the bottle.
The St. Magdalener grows in a very special location: on the moraine-decked slopes of a small, gentle hill with aerate, sandy soils that easily soak up the rays of the sun.
The location on the south-eastern hillside guarantees ideal insolation and optimal ripening of the grapes in autumn. The vines are trained along the "Pergola" system with approx. 5,000 vines per hectare.
Traditionally, St. Magdalener consists of four varieties of the same type of Vernatsch grape (Italian: schiava): Groß-, Mitter-, Grau-, and Tschaggelevernatsch, in correspondence to both the size and colour of their grapes, i.e. large, medium, grey, and small, respectively. They are grown together with up to 10% of the Lagrein variety, in an integrated production system. In order to produce a St. Magdalener, both varieties are harvested and fermented together. Perfect grape quality is achieved by applying a strict yield limitation and by scrupulously carrying out leaf-plucking procedures.
The Lagrein variety grows in the Bozner Boden/Piani di Bolzano area and in Gries (both districts of Bozen/Bolzano). The soils are warm, deep, and well-aerated and consist mainly of debris and detritus deposited by the Eisack/Isarco and Talfer/Talvera rivers. Once again, the vines are trained along the "Pergola" system with approx. 4,500 vines per hectare.
The warm, southerly hillside location and a scrupulous yield limitation are a guarantee of the best grape quality.
The Merlot variety grows in the southern part of Bozen/Bolzano, on warm, loose alluvial soil. The area, where the rivers Etsch/Adige and Eisack/Isarco flow into each other, is called "Spitz" (tip).
The grapevines are trained along the Guyot-system using its typical segmental arches with approx. 7,000 vines per hectare. In cultivating the grapes, great store is set on quality by combining optimal ripeness with low yields.
The "Glöggl"-cellar is a typical wine-cellar.
St. Magdalener is stored and matured in large, new oak barrels. Modern stainless steel vats provide the technology for temperature control as well as for gently pushing the cap down by means of a pneumatic piston.
In the barrique-cellar, the heavy red Lagrein and Merlot wines are allowed to age in French oak barrels.
In recent years the ageing of Lagrein and Merlot in small oak barrels has brought about remarkable results.
In this way, red wines of great substance, dense texture, and many-layered complexity develop after long months of fermentation and ripening.
All of these qualities are the result of long years of experience plus intuition and feeling for the wines. Success also depends on the cycles of nature itself and on a variety of environmental factors. Accordingly, every vintage has its own special character and distinctive touch.