Head northeast for juicy Italian reds (#ItalianFWT)

Like many of you, no doubt, I’d head to the mountainous region of Alto Adige in northeast Italy if I were looking for white wine. Think Pinot Grigio. Some 65% of the region’s grapes are white.

But guess what? White grapes are grappling with warmer temperatures and weather extremes in this Alpine region high in the Dolomite Mountains near the Austrian border. And reds? They like it.

These are just two of the divergent impacts of climate change. There are winners and there are losers. Those struggling white grapes “will have to move up” to higher elevations to survive, says Matthias Messner, marketing director at Cantina Kellerei Bozen, one of the largest cooperatives in Alto Adige. Meanwhile, the happy red grapes are producing juicy wines with the acidity needed to pair amicably with food.

Our group of wine bloggers is exploring Alpine Reds and Whites this month, thanks in large part to samples and a presentation provided by the Cantina Bozen. Scroll down to the bottom for a complete list of blog posts and lots of pairing ideas.

Please note that while the wines for this post were provided, opinions are my own.

Let’s head north

With tariffs imposed on everything from A to Z, including alcohol, what better time to talk about Italian wine, right?

These four inviting bottles arrived on my front walk a couple of weeks before the tariffs hit. The labels read “Süditrol-Alto Adige,” a name that sounds confusing and not entirely Italian. Süditrol means South Tyrol and indicates this Euroregion is part of the Austrian state of Tyrol. This region has changed hands throughout history. It was part of the Austrian Empire and then Austria-Hungary from 1815 until its 1919 transfer to Italy. Even now, 70% of the population is German speaking and everyone is bilingual.

Less than 1% of all cultivated Italian land is located in Alto Adige. Apples and grapes are the main sources of income for farmers. Grapes have to be hand-picked in a region where 86% of the land is hillside and only 14% flat. Despite these challenges, the region is advantageous to grapes. Mountain peaks block rain from the north and contribute to more than 300 days of sun per year.

Cantina Kellerei Bozen consists of 224 wine grape growers who tend more than 840 acres of vineyard. The split between reds and whites is 50/50. The cooperative sports a new, gravity-fed wine production facility designed to use fewer pumps. Theirs is the first cantina to be certified “KlimaHaus,” a quality seal awarded for sustainable practices. A third of their energy is derived from solar.

Tasting the wines

My goal is to open and savor these wines slowly. So far, I have tasted three of the four. I’m saving the last bottle for a special occasion – if one arises soon! If not, well, every day is special, right?

First up was the 2023 Kellerei Bozen Huck Am Bach, DOC Süditrol-Alto Adige. Huck Am Bach mean “one sitting at the river.” This wine is a lightweight blend of two native Italian red grapes, Schiava and Lagrein. Grapes are grown in gravelly soils in St. Magdalener.

This blend has a lovely violet aroma and a taste hinting of almond and spices. I thought it might pair well with my new favorite dish, polenta and fried Oyster mushrooms in tomato sauce, topped with shaved parmesan. Kind of Italian, right? But the pairing was meh – OK, but not wow. To my surprise, though, the wine was dreamy accompanied by a roasted sweet potato and chickpea salad with feta, kale and a honey-mustard dressing. The best pairing, though, was aged Manchego cheese. If I were a meat-eater, I’d serve a cheeseburger and French fries. Alcohol: 13%. Sells in the U.S. for $22-23.

If your taste buds favor light-bodied Pinot Noir, Alto Adige is the place or you! Pinot Noir has been cultivated here since the early 1900s. The German-speaking residents call it Blauburgunder. In Italian, it’s Pinot Nero. Those of us who love its elegant and subtle, Old-World style simply call it delicious.

The 2023 Kellerei Bozen Blauburgunder (Pinot Nero), DOC Süditrol-Alto Adige is fermented 50% in stainless steel and 40% oak. Red cherry, violet and eucalyptus mint dominate the nose. Minty, woodsy and smooth on the palate, the wine has a medium-plus acidity that promises friendly food meetups. The producer suggests grilled and cured meats and hard cheeses, but to my mind, Pinot Noir begs for salmon. Grilled, wild-caught Pacific salmon is a house specialty. This Pinot Nero was quite happy served alongside a spinach and feta salad topped with salmon. Here’s a little secret, though, probably one you won’t hear in Alto Adige. Everyday chicken nuggets dipped in hot sauce are a winner-winner, chicken dinner with this wine. Alcohol: 13%. At current U.S. prices of about $25, it’s a steal!

That brings us to the third of our four bottles, the 2022 Kellerei Bozen Perl, DOC Süditrol-Alto Adige, a 100% Lagrein. Grown in Bolzano, where the diurnal shift of temperatures locks in acidity and breezes cool the grapes, Lagrein is a deeply colored red grape that lends itself to an intense, medium-bodied wine. Fruity on the nose and palate, with blackberry and black cherry, herby notes of rosemary and thyme, and a hint of licorice, this smooth varietal is a friendly companion to many foods. Pictured is a cheese tortellini, sausage and spinach soup. The wine also hummed cheerfully when paired with this tortellini and roasted asparagus dish. I used spinach tortellini and skipped the cream. Yum! Alcohol: 13.5%. This wine retails in the U.S. for about $30.

As I mentioned before, I’m saving the 2020 Kellerei Bozen Taber Lagrein Riserva, an $80 bottle of wine in the U.S. at pre-tariff prices, for later in the year. The producer says I can put it down for 10 to 15 years. We’ll see!

Below is the list of bloggers posting on this topic. Enjoy!

• Alto Adige Red Wines Paired with Sierra Nevada Adventures and Cabin-Cooked Meals by Culinary Cam
• Alto Adige Wine Pairings by Cooking Chat
• From a Country of Contrasts: Pinot Noir, Schiava, Lagrein at Alpine Alto Adige’s Cantina di Bolzano by Wine predator…Gwendolyn Alley
• From the Dolomites to Your Glass: Tasting 4 Alpine Reds and a Refreshing Kretzer by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• Head northeast for juicy Italian reds by My Full Wine Glass
• Italian Red Wines from Trentino-Alto Adige with Kellerei Bolzano by Vino Travels
• Italian Wines at Altitude by Avvinare
• Two Italian Dinners, Two Wines from the Italian Alps, and a Book Review by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Uncorking the Italian Alps: A Journey Through Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio and Exquisite Alp Whites by Our Good Life
• Bolzano and the Alto Adige Wines of Kellerei Bozen by Crushed Grape Chronicles