Light Meets Hearty: Schiava Paired with Ham and Lentil Soup

Nestled in the northeastern part of Italy, the Alto Adige produces some of Italy’s most underappreciated wines.  It’s a beautiful, serene environment with the Alpine backdrop looming over the sun-drenched valleys.  The Alto Adige, also known as Sudtirol due to its Germanic influences, provides a bicultural experience between Italian and German that is experienced in both the language, food and wines of the region.   

What I can appreciate about the wines being produced in the Alto Adige is the purity found in the wines.  Many of the wines of the region are produced as single varietals, and the winemakers make efforts to let the grapes shine and to lend that sense of place. 

The merger of two historic cooperatives that took place in 2001 to form Cantina Bozen shapes the view of how cooperatives can produce world-class wine.  With over 200 small local wine growing families all contributing to growing quality grapes to demonstrate the capabilities of the land surrounding Bolzano is what makes these wines so special.  While following strict guidelines and criteria, these producers are able to band together and share the treasures of the land where they may not normally be able to do so on their own. 

Cantina Bolzano / Kellerei Bozen

Grapes of the Alto Adige 

Today’s feature is on the indigenous grape, Schiava, and Pinot Nero, both common grapes found in the wines of the Alto Adige.  Schiava, also called Vernatsch in German, along with Lagrein that I’ve previously featured from Cantina Bolzano, produces red wines that are lighter in body. For those of you that enjoy red wines in the summer, but don’t want wines with a heavier body, Schiava is a great option.  It’s nice to give it a slight chill as well.  Schiava produces wines that show freshness with bright red fruits.  They tend to be delicate with low tannin, but that carries moderate acidity.  They carry floral aromas, violets, and almonds are common notes.   

Pinot Nero, which is also the same as Pinot Noir, is also called Blauburgunder in the area.  This is a grape that needs higher altitudes and in the cooler climate of the Alto Adigeit doesn't allow the wines to turn jammy.  These wines are approachable in their youth and show notes of red fruits including cherry and strawberry.  You will also get some earthiness and hints of spice no herbs. They are medium-bodied with bright acidity and elegant tannins. 

The Wines of Cantina Bolzano 

The two wines I tried from Kellerei Bozen was a Schiava and Lagrein blend as well as a Pinot Nero.  I paired the Schiava as you'll see with a ham and lentil soup.  The Pinot Nero I brought along with me on my cruise with my family to the Caribbean a couple months back. 

The 2023 Kellerei Bozen/Cantina Bolzano “Huck am Bach” St. Magdalena‘s Alto Adige DOC is made up of 90% Schiava and 10% Lagrein grown in gravelly soils of a 5-hectare vineyard in the Santa Magdalena zone.

Santa Maddalena hills and the city of Bolzano - Copyright: Vini Alto Adige/Tiberio Sorvillo

This wine is aged in large oak vats. Lightly ruby in color, rather transparent in the glass. Aromas of ripe black cherries with hints of violet.  On the palate it's a lighter to medium bodied wine showing nice red fruits (cherry) with juicy acidity.  It's rather soft and smooth on the palate with a lasting finish.  ABV 13%, SRP $22-23. 

The 2023 Kellerei Bozen/Cantina Bolzano Pinot Nero Alto Adige DOC grown in the slopes of Renton and Oberleitach.  It’s fermented in stainless steel and about 40% is spent in oak for a short time. The Pinot Nero was pale ruby in color and rather translucent.  Light-bodied and easy drinking, the wine was smooth and balanced with dark fruit, especilly blackberries that stood out. ABV 13%, SRP $25.

Pairing Schiava with Ham and Lentil soup  

I try to make soup more often in the cold winter months and when thinking up what to pair with the Schiava I thought a ham and lentil soup would be ideal.  I had just prepared a ham, so I used the leftover trimmings in preparation of the soup.  Ham and lentil soup is so easy to prepare while so filling.   

I started out sautéing carrots and celery for about 5 minutes.  You can add onion, but no one except myself is a fan.  Once softened, I added about 4 cups of both water and chicken broth along with some spices to include garlic powder, a bay leaf, pepper, and paprika.  Once brought to a boil I added the ham bone and simmered for about an hour.  After the soup was simmered, I removed the ham bone and chopped it up into pieces and added it back to the soup.  Voila!   

Schiava is commonly paired in the Alto Adige with speck, a smoked ham, so possibly that is the reason it went so well with this soup.  The red fruit helped cut through the richness of the ham and complemented the earthiness of the lentils.  In the Alto Adige, they also pair Schiava with canaderli, which are bread dumplings I've shared once before when I paired them with Muller Thurgau. I tried these once when I was visiting Trento.  

This pairing reminded me that Alto Adige wines are very much food friendly.  With Cantina Bolzano’s authentic expression of terroir, it proves that memorable pairings can come from simple foods and honest wines. 

Copyright: Vini Alto Adige/Florian Andergassen

You can find other wines from the Alto Adige on Wine.com to try.  I may receive compensation for any wines purchased through the affiliate link in support of Vino Travels. 

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*These wines were provided as a sample, but opinions are always my own. 

 

Kellerei Bozen Lagrein Pairing with a One Pot Sausage and Farro Dish

It’s amazing how fast the years go by and as I reflect on the anniversary of Vino Travels this month as it has been 12 years since I started my blogging and wine journey.  I’ve come a long way and still have a long way to go, but that’s why they call it a journey right?!   

There is no better way to celebrate my blogiversary than with our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group as we celebrate alpine red and white wines of Italy this month.  It’s been an educational experience learning and writing alongside many of the writers of this group throughout these 12 years.  What’s even better is that the wines that I'm sharing today from Kellerei Bozen were enjoyed amongst many of the members of this wine group since one of the writers, Susannah of Vigneto Communications, invited us to a virtual tasting with the Winery Director, Matthias Messner, to learn all about Kellerei Bozen.   

Matthias Messner - copyright of Kellerei Bozen

The Alto Adige wine region 

Kellerei Bozen is situated in the region of Alto Adige, also known as Sudtirol, that is situated in northern Italy on the border of Austria and Switzerland receiving the climatic influences of both the Mediterranean Sea and the Alps with the Dolomites to the north. I love the dramatic landscape that surrounds you when you visit this region.  Plus, there is an abundance of sunshine with over 300 days of sun gracing the vineyards along with great ventilation and breezes that pass through.   

Alto Adige today is mostly dominated by white wines with stats from 2023 showing white wines production sitting at about 65% and 35% red wine production.  Surprisingly, 98% of the production is formed under the DOC across 20 different varieties of grapes. 

Cooperatives are very popular in Alto Adige.  Matthias shared that there are 12 coops within the region making up 75% of the regions production, with Kellerei Bozen respected within the top 3 of the coops.  The cooperative allows the winery to support local wine growers while also producing high quality wines.  Their aim is to produce elegant and mineral driven wines that showcase their terroir. 

All About Kellerei Bozen 

The beginnings of what became Kellerei Bozen initially began back in 1908 when 30 vine growers from the town of Gries banded together to produce wine.  In 1930 18 growers from Santa Maddalena area also started a coop during a very challenging economic time.  During World War II their winery had been hit with a bomb.  They decided to band together with the vine growers from Gries.  It wasn’t until 2001 when they officially merged under Cantina Bozen.  

Today Kellerei Bozen consists of 224 growers across 340 hectares of vineyards with their wine production providing equal red and white wines.  Many of the vineyards are located on hillsides (86%) with the rest on the plains.  This is consistent with much of the Alto Adige vineyards as they are very slope driven and due to this require hand harvesting of the grapes. 

The winery has a strong focus on sustainability utilizing several methods including solar panels for their power, use of biodegradable materials, organic fertilizers and green manuring to name a few.  A new winery was built in 2008 that allows gravitational force to take place throughout its 5 levels during the wine production avoiding the use of additional machinery.   

 

Kellerei Bozen winery - copyright of Kellerei Bozen

The Wines 

I loved one of the quotes I came across in my research that Kellerei produces “Mediterranean red wines in the land of contrasts”.  With such cultural influences of this region and a heavier of presence of white wines as well this really stood out to me.   

I decided to focus today on their Lagrein and will share the other 2 I tasted for a future pairing.  Lagrein is a cross between the Teroldego grape and Schiava grape.  The area of Gries is well known for producing quality Lagrein.   

The 2022 Kellerei Bozen “Perl” Lagrein Alto Adige DOC spends time maturing in large oak barrels plus additional time in the bottle and is released 1 year after the harvest.  This wine was deeply ruby colored with purple hues.  On the nose are intense, jammy dark fruits of plum, black cherry and blackberries with a hint of spice.  It is medium to fuller bodied on the palate with concentrated black fruits showing finishing with silky tannins.  ABV 13.5%, SRP $28 

The 2020 Kellerei Bozen “Taber” Lagrein Riserva Alto Adige DOC is made from low yields on 80 year old vines in Gries.   It’s aged for 1 year in French barrique and is a wine that they recommend that will improve with 10-15 years of aging.  According to their site, it’s the most awarded wine from the Alto Adige region. 

The Taber has the similar color and intensity in comparison to the Perl.  A nice blend of both black and red fruits on the nose and palate with this wine.  Nice layers and complexity on the palate with notes of chocolate, cassis, raspberry with great balance of acidity, fruit and tannins.  My pick of the two!  ABV 14%, SRP $80 

Pairing with Lagrein 

During our virtual tasting it was suggested to pair the Taber Lagrein with deer, steak or tortelloni with sausage.  Since my boys are big fans of sausage, and I have to appease many different palates in this house, I decided to go with a one pot sausage dish.  I browned some chicken sausage in a saute pan and then added some garlic, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, 1 cup of farro and 2 cups of chicken broth and simmered the ingredients for about 25 minutes.  Upon serving I added some additional sauteed spinach I had prepared on the side along with some grated pecorino on top. 

The sausage and farro dish was not only a hit, and one I’ll be making again, but paired really well with both Lagrein wines.  Simplicity in preparation of the dish with a blend of the complexity of flavors in the sausage and wine will please your palate and soul. 

one pot sausage, mushroom and farro dish

Follow along with the rest of the Italian food and wine writers as they take you through an array of Italian alpine red and white wines with some suggested pairings. 

• Alto Adige Red Wines Paired with Sierra Nevada Adventures and Cabin-Cooked Meals by Culinary Cam 

• Alto Adige Wine Pairings by Cooking Chat

• Bolzano and the Alto Adige Wines of Kellerei Bozen by Crushed Grape Chronicles

• 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 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

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.  

Cantina Tramin: One of Italy's Oldest Wine Cooperatives

This week we explore the Alto Adige region of northern Italy featuring one of the established cooperatives found in Italy, Cantina Tramin.  I had the opportunity to ask some questions of Cantina Tramin that I’m sharing today along with a few of their wonderful white wines.  I wish I ventured to this winery the last time I visited Verona some years ago as it’s about 100 miles to the north.  The architecture of this winery is eye catching as you'll see below.  It was was architected onto the original wine cellar by Werner Tscholl in 2010 for energy efficiency.

The Winery – Cantina Tramin 

 

Cantina Tramin is located in the Alto Adige wine region of northern Italy also known as Südtirol.  The winery is situated on the south side of the Alps named after the town in which it is located, Termeno, which in German translates to Tramin.  With many of these bordering regions in Italy, as we have seen time and time again, that there are many cultural influences as it relates to their history, food, wine and overall cultural traditions.  Cantina Tramin is only 60 miles from Austria.

 

The winery sits in a glacial valley that helps traps sun and also block the vineyards from the cold northern winds as well as the winds from Lake Garda.  This area sees large fluctuations in temperature between day and night that contributes to the wines structure and elegance. 

Today Cantina Tramin consists of about 170 families that stay true to the philosophy of “accuracy, commitment, trust and creativity” and to produce wines that reflect their landscape.  Their acreage totals about 620 acres in the areas of Tramin, Neumarkt, Aver and Montan.  They produce about 1.9 million bottles with about 30% of their production exported globally.  They are 3rd oldest cooperative in the southern Tyrol.   

 

Interview with Cantina Tramin 

I had the opportunity to ask some questions to winemaker Willi Stürz and the sales director Wolfgang Klotz. I hope you enjoy their insight!

 

How was the idea of the coop created? 

Cantina Tramin was founded in 1898. The end of the 19th century were difficult years for local agriculture. The sale of the grapes was difficult, and the winegrowers were completely dependent on the private traders and the privately owned wineries. With the establishment of a cooperative, the freedom, security and dignity of small winegrowers was secured. Established by Christian Schrott, parish priest of Tramin and later member of the Austrian Parliament, Cantina Tramin is one of the oldest growers’ cooperative in Northern Italy.

 

What is it about the terroir that makes Gewurztraminer so successful there? 

The Alto Adige/Südtirol Gewürztraminer, and especially that of Tramin, differs from that of other places in the world for its elegance and freshness, deriving from the fact that its maturation takes place on gravel and clay soils, at particularly high altitudes with strong temperature variations between day and night. Gewürztraminer depends on warm days to develop its unique aromas, on the other hand cold nights to preserve freshness. More than 30 years ago, we began to plant only those grape varieties in each of our microzones that have the climatic and soil-specific conditions to exploit their full potential. That's why our Gewürztraminer grow at an altitude of 350 - 500 m above sea level. Here it offers extraordinary aromas, a wine rich in silky, mineral, and structured texture, with elegant and intense aroma of nutmeg, rose petals, cinnamon, spices and oriental fruits. 

 How do you manage such a large amount of growers and what are some of the main requirements of being a partner/grower with Cantina Tramin?   

Today’s situation is the result of the proceedings that began 50 years ago. Much of what was unthinkable decades ago has become "culture" today. Much of what started as an innovation and used to be a huge challenge has long since become the standard today. The strength of the cooperative is its networked structure. Our member families are small landowners. Despite its size, the company has the opportunity to operate like a small winery, which allows high flexibility and quick decisions. As needed, the vines and grapes are given individual care throughout the year until they are harvested quickly in autumn at the best time. The large number of co-owners guarantees individual, intensive vineyard work and precise harvesting with optimal physiological ripeness. An agronomist supervises and advises the member families throughout the year, and there are also regular training courses for the winegrowing families. Scientific findings also play an important role. With the rich experience and the prudent and clear specifications/instructions of winemaker Willi Stürz provide the basis for the consistently high quality of the wines. The detailed cooperation and the effort to continuously improve quality are deeply rooted in the minds. Further details for quality improvement are continuously being worked out and implemented.  

Willi Stürz, winemaker for Cantina Tramin

What does the winery pride themselves on? 

The families are co-owners and producers of the cooperative of the village of Termeno, they have lived in Alto Adige/Südtirol for centuries. They are literally rooted in their land and the nature that prevails here. They see themselves as part of the landscape. The structure of Cantina Tramin has therefore grown organically, the formerly small mountain farmers have joined forces to work more efficiently and ensure its preservation. This gave rise to today's Cantina Tramin, which sees itself as a kind of big family that sticks together and passionately pursues its goals together. The winery has become one of Italy's leading white wine producers, and the wines also enjoy the greatest international recognition. An example of this is Wine Advocate's 100 points for Epokale Gewürztraminer. It is the first time that Robert Parker has given maximum recognition to a white wine in Italy.

 

What do you feel are the unique qualities of the wines produced at Cantina Tramin in comparison to other producers of the region? 

Our wines are intensely fruity, fresh, complex and have an extremely elegant structure. In every bottle, our territory is recognizable. The same applies to the grape variety, the style, the attitude of the Cantina and the peculiarities of the vintage. 

Any current project or future plans for Cantina Tramin at this time?  

After the success with Gewürztraminer, in recent years we have placed Chardonnay at the center of our perception. We have dedicated many studies to it and thoroughly studied the great potential of this vine in the Alpine region and continuously expanded it as part of a comprehensive oenological project. The calcareous soils and the prevailing climate offer endless possibilities for the development of this grape variety. Our Chardonnay should be characterized by the unmistakable expression of the alpine area, should speak the language of the alpine valleys. In this project we have also penetrated to unusual altitudes (500 – 550 meters) with the variety, because complex Chardonnays from high altitudes are a rarity, but that's exactly the appeal for us. 

The Cantina Tramin Wines 

I sampled a few of the white wines of Cantina Tramin that I wanted to share today with their Nussbaumer Gewurztraminer and Pinot Bianco being my top picks.

 

The 2022 Cantina Tramin “Moriz” Pinot Bianco Alto Adige DOC.  This wine is made from 100% Pinot Bianco grapes with low yields.  The name Moriz for this wine is named after the patron saint, St. Mauritius of the village of Sella, which is situated in the hills above Cantina Tramin where these grapes are grown at about 820-1,640 feet on clay and gravelly soils.  This wine spends time on the lees and is aged in small stainless steels and 20% in big oak casks for 6 months.  The wine was pale straw, almost clear with green hues.  Pretty aromatics of white peach and citrus.  Light-bodied and dry on the palate and crisp with mouthwatering acidity showing more notes of citrus.  ABV 13.5% SRP $23

The 2021 Cantina Tramin Unterebner Pinot Grigio Alto Adige DOC is named after the Unterebner vineyard where the grapes are grown.  It is fermented partially in oak barrel and partially in tonneaux with malolactic fermentation.  It is then aged in large oak barrel with a smaller part aged in tonneaux on the lees.  It spends 3 months in the bottle with a total of 14 months aging.  Pale straw colored this wine had fresh aromas of some citrus, apples and pears that carried through to the palate. Light-bodied with crisp acidity with a hint of vanilla and salinity. I was expecting more body and a different profile with the wood contact, but it was barely noticeable, which I think in a Pinot Grigio is a good thing. ABV 14.5% SRP $39

I was thrilled to try the 2021 Cantina Tramin Nussbaumer Alto Adige DOC for a couple reasons.  The first is that I’m a big fan of the Gewurztraminer grape from my days of touring the Finger Lakes wine region of upstate NY.  Nussbaumer is made from 100% Gewurztraminer.  The other reason is that this wine is the most awarded Gewurztraminer in the Gambero Rosso, the organization that prides itself on being in the know for Italian food and wine, and also has received 20 consecutive Tre Bicchieri awards from Gambero Rosso, their highest honor.  Cantina Tramin is well known for their quality Gewurztraminer that they produce including their Epokale, which is the first Italian white to receive 100 points from the Wine Advocate.   

Gewurztraminer, also known as Traminer locally, is one of the oldest grapes in the world and grows particularly well in the area surrounding Cantina Tramin.  The Nussbaumer is fermented in stainless steel and ages in small steel tanks with lees contact with 3 months in the bottle also totaling 14 months of aging.  This wine was straw colored. The aromas and texture of this wine along with it’s complexity is what stood out the most. Such exotic aromas, floral with spice and lychee. It had a silky, textured body a silkiness with lots of ginger and spice. Quite an interesting Gewurztraminer! ABV 14.5% SRP $43

Have any of my readers been able to visit Cantina Tramin or the Alto Adige region? 

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.