In 1999 some vintners, sommeliers, restaurant owners and hotel keepers met in the small South Tyrolean village of Kaltern. The reason for this was that the image of their wine was deplorably bad and their prices put them in the bottom shelf at the supermarket. The aim of the gathering was clear – the wines from Kalterer See (Lake Kaltern) had to become better, the image improved accordingly and the town of Kaltern and its surroundings needed to be involved more.

The project group resolved to implement a whole package of practical measures in the next ten years, including the construction of marked vineyard paths, the creation of a wine shop, a regular meeting of producers, a wine book and catalogue of criteria for wines. Gradually all 20 principal vintners joined the initiative.

Now, 13 years later it can be approvingly ascertained that the quality offensive worked. Diverse marked vineyard paths run around Kaltern down to the lake, the “Punkt” wine shop right on Kaltern’s market square offers wines from every vintner and recommends a different inexpensive wine of outstanding quality every day, including:

• Vernatsch: light ruby to ruby red, light and low in tannin, pleasantly mild and fruity, often with a slightly bitter almond tone.
• Lagrein: ruby red to dark garnet red, with the scent of violets and blackberries, full-bodied and smooth in flavour, with slightly tart nuances.
• Gewürztraminer: straw to golden yellow, aromatic and full-bodied, with a light to distinct smell of spices, carnations, roses and lychees as well as a pleasantly dry, slightly spicy aroma.
• Pinot blanc:greenish to bright yellow, with slight apple scent and dry, full-bodied flavour, fresh fruity with notes of nuts, apples, green foliage and – when very aged – of butter.
• Sauvignon blanc: greenish-yellow, with intensive grassy smell, full-bodied and extract rich, with fresh, racy aromas of green peppers and gooseberries.
• Ruländer (Pinot gris): straw yellow, with flowery smell and pleasantly smooth flavour, full-bodied and extract rich, can also develop notes of nuts and honey when intensively aged.
• Chardonnay: ranging from fresh-fruity straightforward steel vat versions to complex and storable barrique wines, greenish to golden yellow, with delicate fruity smell and dry, lively fresh flavour of vanilla and butter, pineapples, apples, pears, bananas, citrus fruits and caramel.
• Blauburgunder (Pinot noir): Ruby to garnet red with high tannin content and the scent of forest berries, well-structured, with an intensive and enduring flavour of red berries and violets.
• Merlot: Garnet to dark garnet red, with aromas of grass and wild grapes, fruity, full-bodied, slightly tart with notes of cherries and currants.
• Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark purple, with aromas of black currants, blackberries, black pepper and paprika.

And here these are the four wines which were awarded three glasses by “Gambero Rosso”:

White

• 2008 Moscato Giallo (Yellow Muscat) Castel Giovanelli “Serenade Passito” from the Kaltern Winery / Cantina di Caldaro (www.kellereikaltern.com)
• 2010 Terlan Pinot Bianco (Pinot blanc) “Eichhorn” from Manincor (www.manincor.com/default_en.asp)
• 2010 Terlano Pinot Bianco (Pinot blanc) “DeSilva” from Peter Sölva & Söhne (www.soelva.com/en/)

Red

• 2010 Lago di Caldaro Classico Superiore (Schiava/Trollinger) “Puntay”, Erste + Neue Kellerei, Kaltern (www.erste-neue.it/eng/erste-neue-kellerei.html)

Text: Rainer Meier

Further information is available on the internet at http://wein.kaltern.com