Grape Variety: Sylvaner

Colour: White

The Sylvaner grape originated in Austria and was introduced to Alsace only two centuries ago.

The grapes tend to grow in the northern part of the Alsatian vineyards and cover about 10% of the vineyards of the Alsace region. The variety gives the best results in the famous terroir of Zotzenberg. It is the only place where wine makers can grow Sylvaner alongsid Riesling and Gewurztraminer to produce a grand cru wine.

Stylistically, the wines tend to be pleasant, fresh and fruity, pale green with flower and lemon aromas. It is better drunk young, served as an aperitif or with fish.

Even as the youngest winery in the Süd Tirol the Cantina Produttori Valle Isarco has already become synonymous with fine white wines. The climate and topography bequeaths the wines their unique and distinctive character. The inclination and height of slopes (called Leitn) helps. Some of the vines grow at 800-900 metres altitude. White grapes flourish in particular because of the nutrient-rich (yet porous) soil, the number of sunny days and even distribution of rainfall. The Sylvaner, grown on south east facing slopes up to 700m, is broad and mouth-filling; the apricot and apple flavours are ripe and delicious. This would pair well with asparagus or steamed white fish. Peter Pliger, proprietor and winemaker at his tiny property (only about 2,500 cases are produced annually), is considered to be a pace-setter for the Valle Isarco region, which is located in the normally cooler northern portion of Südtirol. His organically cultivated vines exhibit an aromatic profile and stony minerality that differ from those grown just north or south of his property and are expressive of a unique terroir. The Sylvaner is pale gold with appealing floral scents on the nose. On the palate, the wine offers the very essence of freshly cut apple, sappy yet very smooth, and complemented by layers of citrus and topical fruits. An undercurrent of chalk and woodsmoke lingers on the palate, giving this elegant wine an added sense of structure. Acquired and managed by the Kerschbaumer family since 1940, the Köfererhof estate has existed in southern Tyrol, a region that is as Austrian in spirit as it is Italian, for over 850 years. In 1995, the winery started to bottle its own wines after having sold its fruit to local wineries for years. Köfererhof’s tiny 5 hectares of vines are located at the base of the Dolomite mountains between 700 and 800 metres above sea level. At this high altitude, the variation in temperatures from day to night is ideal, and the carefully tended, high-density vineyards yield intensely fragrant, concentrated and well-balanced wines.  All grapes are harvested by hand, and attention to detail is paramount in this limited production winery. The quality of these wines raises the bar for all whites from Alto-Adige.The Sylvaner is bone-dry and beautifully crisp with a whiff of grassiness and surprising persistence on the palate.