2022 Weingut Köfererhof Kerner, Alto Adige, Italy

ABOUT THIS WINE

100% Kerner, a cross of Trollinger and Riesling grapes, grown at 750 meters. Fermentation and aging in stainless steel. The wine was bottled the June after the previous harvest.

Gunther Kershbaumer loves his vineyards. He just doesn’t have enough of them. As the reference point producer in the Isarco River Valley, Kofererhof wines are in high demand, so he’s always looking for new parcels to rent. When one of his neighbors recently replanted his DOC Valle Isarco Alto Adige Muller-Thurgau vineyard to Kerner, Gunther, knowing the excellent position (southwest facing, 720 meters above sea level) took out a long term lease on the property. When it came time to bottle the wines, though, Gunther was in for a surprise. While double checking all of the paperwork on the vineyard, he found out that the owner never registered the new plantings of Kerner with the DOC. This meant that the vineyard had lost DOC status, and can only produce fruit for wine classified as IGT Vigneti dei Dolomiti. In order to get the vineyard re-registered for the DOC, the owner would have to rip the vines out, have the property inspected by the DOC, and then replant. This would be a five year process, so rather than wait so long, Gunther decided to bottle a part of his Kerner as IGT Vigneti dei Dolomiti!

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Acquired and managed by the Kerschbaumer family since 1940, the Köfererhof estate has existed in southern Tyrol – a region that is more Austrian in spirit than it is Italian – for over 850 years. In 1995, the winery started to bottle its own wines after having sold its fruit for years. Köfererhof’s few hectares of vines are located at the base of the Dolomite mountains between 700 and 800 meters 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. Farming practices are currently low environmental impact but tend toward organic. Indigenous yeasts are used, except in the rare instance of a particularly challenging vintage. All wines are fermented and aged in temperature-controlled tanks with the exception of the Pinot Grigio and Sylvaner ‘R’, which is partially aged in large casks of Acacia wood. Total production for the estate is only around 3,500 cases of wine per year! The quality of these wines raises the bar for all whites from Alto Adige.