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.  

Remy Wines: Italian Grapes in Oregon and a Winery After my Heart

This month our Italian Food, Wine and Travel group (#ItalianFWT) is exploring Italian grapes around the world.  Always an intriguing search and fun experimentation to see what other states or countries around the world are growing Italian grapes and why they choose these particular grapes to grow in their particular place in the world.  The winery I sampled wines from, Remy Wines, holds a particular place in my heart as my first born son’s name is Remy.  He was a big fan seeing his name on the bottle!

Remy Wines is located in the Pacific Northwest of the US in Oregon.  The vineyards are located in the Dundee Hills AVA of the Willamette Valley.  The owner and winemaker, Remy Drabkin, had a lifelong dream and passion to work in the wine industry starting at the young age of 8.  By the age of 14 she had worked her first harvest and by age 17 she was already studying winemaking abroad. 

Being a native to McMinnville, Oregon where the winery is located, Remy holds strong roots to the area.  She began Remy Wines in 2006 and over the years has added a couple tasting rooms including baR (pronounced R Bar) in 2011 and her latest tasting room added in 2017 at the family’s Lone Madrone Vineyards site in Dundee.  Although Remy’s winery is small production, she prides herself on innovation as she works with Italian grapes that are very outside the norm for Oregon’s wine country.  Her focus is on Lagrein, Sangiovese, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo and Barbera.  She also has another label called Three Wives Label that she experiments with from vintage to vintage playing with blends. 

The Wines

2017 Remy Wines Jubilee Dolcetto:  These grapes are grown in the Jubilee Vineyards in the Northern part of the Eola-Amit Hills AVA in the Willamette Valley.  Dolcetto is a grape widely grown throughout the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy.  The Jubilee Dolcetto is barrel aged 16 months in neutral oak.  Ruby in color with aromas of black licorice and blackberries.  This wine was dry and balanced with juicy acidity showing blackberries on the palette. The subtle tannins showed on the finish with a hint of vanilla finishing with nice length.  Only 206 cases are produced.  SRP $35

Chicken, broccoli and sun-dried tomato over brown rice

2017 Remy Wines Estate Lagrein: These grapes are grown at the family vineyard in Dundee Hills.  Lagrein is such a fantastic red grape that is native to the Alto Adige region of northeastern Italy.  It’s a beautiful area surrounded by Dolomite Mountains.  Remy was the first to bottle Lagrein in Oregon.  Deep in color with purple hues.  A hefty wine with jammy fruit, notes of chocolate and a hint of herbs with chewy tannins.  I wish I had opened this when I grilled some rib eyes a couple weeks ago.  The Estate Lagrein is aged 2 years in 50% new American oak.  Only 125 cases were produced.  SRP $58

Join my fellow Italian food and wine lovers on Twitter this Saturday @ 11am EST at #ItalianFWT as we share many other Italian grapes around the world.

• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla: “Cheesy Bites, a Colorful Board, and a Barbera...from California”
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm: “Italian Grapes Grown Outside of Italy and Served Out of a Box? Che Diamine!!!”
• Andrea at The Quirky Cork: “Tuscany Meets Turkey with Chateau Murou Montepulciano Sangiovese”
• Marcia at Joy of Wine: “Exploring Italian Grape Varieties Down Under with Zonte's Footsteps”
• Jeff at foodwineclick: “Italian Grapes from Unti Vineyards at the Winter Grill”
• Martin at ENOFYLZ: “A Splendid Cal-Ital: 2016 Giornata Nebbiolo Luna Matta Vineyard”
• Terri at Our Good Life: “Italian Grapes in Lodi Paired with Grilled Salmon Tacos”
• Nicole at Somm’s Table: "2 Italian White Wine Blends Born in California"
• Gwendolyn at wine predator: “Italy in California: from Aglianico to Zinfandel” and “Italy in California: Nebbiolo from Humbolt's Terragena and Santa Barbara’s Silver”
• Susannah at avvinare: “Vermentino, A Star In and Out of Italy”
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass: “Native Italian grapes find a home in the land of Pinot Noir”

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

Italian Grapes of Northern Italy Reside in Oregon with Montinore Estate

If you’ve been following along my wine journey, you’ll notice that I also enjoy seeking out wineries outside of Italy that are growing Italian grapes.  It’s interesting to see the reasons behind why wineries choose these grapes and the results in the bottle in comparison to those grown on Italian soil.  This week I explore the wines of Montinore Estate located in northern Oregon in the Willamette Valley AVA.

The Winery ~ Montinore Estate 

Montinore was purchased in 2005 by Rudy Marchesi, whose Italian roots run deep.  His grandparents, Carlo and Rosa Marchesi, lived in Northern Italy and lived a “sustainable “lifestyle” growing their own food and making their own wine.  When they moved to the United States they settled in the Northeast and passed these traditions down to Rudy.   

Rudy had made and sold his own wine, but had a fascination with Oregon for its beauty and creativity.  He wanted to show this in the glass and make sure that the wines he produced reflected the characteristics of place while showing their own individual character.  He believes in making food friendly, approachable wines.  He became a part of Montinore first overseeing operations until he later purchased the 200 acres.   

The vineyards of Montinore were planted in 1982 and are on slopes East facing the Coastal Range foothills.  Their focus is on the pride of Oregon, the Pinot Noir grape, along with Italian grapes and cool climate whites.

The Wines 

I was surprised to see exactly how many grapes Montinore is really working with.  I tried a few wines featuring four Italian grapes. 

Montinore NV Rosso di Marchesi Sesto Atto – This wine is a blend including 34% Lagrein, 27% Sangiovese, 16%  Nebbiolo, 13% Teroldego and 10% Pinot Noir.  It is a dedication to Rudy’s grandparents and is the 6th vintage or as the name refers to as Sesto Atto meaning “sixth act”.  All the grapes are grown at Montinore except the Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, which are grown in the Red Mountain AVA of Washington.  A full-bodied wine full of jammy, juicy fruits with hints of both tobacco and even some chocolate.  I always find blends interesting as you have such an array of flavors and characteristics that show in the blend.  SRP $28

2017 Montinore Teroldego – Many of the qualities of Teroldego, that calls the wine region of Trentino home in Northeastern Italy, translated into the glass for this wine produced by Montinore.  Rudy actual is using the vine cuttings from Elisabetta Foradori, well-known for her Teroldego.  Deeply colored, with intense berries and some earthiness.  Good acidity and some notes of vanilla.  A full-bodied wine produced in a New World style. This wine spends 20 months in 100% Hungarian oak that is 1/3 new.  SRP $40

2017 Montinore Lagrein – Lagrein, another grape that calls Northern Italy home in the Alto Adige wine region.  Lagrein isn’t produced in large quantities at Montinore, but are produced biodynamically.  Also darkly colored, flavors of juicy cherries and plums are displayed in this smooth wine.  Aged 20 months also, but in French oak that is 1/3 new.  SRP $40

Although I have yet to visit Oregon I’ve always been a huge fan of their Pinot Noir.  I greatly appreciate wineries like Montinore that are bringing attention to Italian grapes and educating wine consumers.

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

Fulchino Vineyards utilizing Italian grapes in New Hampshire winemaking

One of my goals this year is to explore Italian grapes in the US and I've come across a number of wineries that I'm in contact with to speak with them about their growing methods and how their soils and climates differ as well as the wines they produce from those that they originate from in Italy.

Myself with Al Fulchino, owner of Fulchino Vineyards in Hollis, NH

I recently interviewed Al Fulchino, the owner of a local winery in New Hampshire called, Fulchino Vineyards. My feature of Fulchino Vineyards was featured this past week on my column, “Italy Uncorked” in the Bostoniano magazine where you can get a history of Al's Italian roots and heritage and how he came about producing wine in NH.

Al grows about 85% of his own grapes on his land in Hollis, NH, but does import some Italian grapes from Italy including montepulciano grapes from the central region of Abruzzo as well as the lagrein grape from the Trentino-Alto Adige region of northern Italy. Granted, the terroirs along with certain elements of the actual winemaking and aging process are what make the wines unique so it's no wonder that US wineries that are experimenting with indigenous Italian varietals from Italy are making styles different than what you may be used to. The selection of specific varietals that these wineries and winemakers choose in comparison to what they think they are capable of producing to produce a somewhat “true style” of how that grape is expressed is what I find intriguing. 

Al Fulchino chose lagrein and montepulciano grapes because these are the grapes that his family experimented with in making wine. Since lagrein is a grape that isn't well known in the public eye I asked Al why lagrein in particular? Outside the reason of his history within his family with the lagrein grape, overall Al is satisfied with the results of the wine produced with lagrein in the long term. His biggest issue with it is that in its youth it lacks the qualities he looks forward to in the end result. When presenting to customers its difficult to demonstrate the potential of this grape in the long term.

Al's family originates from Campania and next Saturday June 6^th for our Italian Food, Wine and Travel group #ItalianFWT we will be featuring Campania this month with a group of bloggers sharing all their wonderful experiences and recipes and wines. 

Original wine basket for the wine press of Al's grandfather

Make sure to check back next week with a preview earlier in the week for a sampling of what's to come. You can join us live on twitter Saturday June 6^th at 11am EST and chat with us. We'd love to hear your story and experiences too!

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