Cantina Kurtatsch produces terroir wines in the south of South Tyrol
Cantina Kurtatsch is a winegrowers' cooperative on the South Tyrolean Wine Road, founded on May 13, 1900, by 42 winegrowers. Today, 190 families farm around 190 hectares between 220 and 900 meters above sea level. This is not a winery with a "one-size-fits-all" signature, but one that develops each vineyard site individually.
Cantina Kurtatsch, in German "Kellerei Kurtatsch," is located in the village of Kurtatsch on the Wine Road in the south of South Tyrol and is one of the oldest cooperatives in the region. There are 680 meters of elevation difference between the lowest and highest vineyards, representing two different worlds: below, the warmest sites in South Tyrol for Merlot and Cabernet; above, dolomite limestone and cool nights for Sauvignon, Pinot Blanc, and Gewürztraminer.
Forty-two winegrowers and a resolution
On May 13, 1900, forty-two winegrowers in Kurtatsch joined forces because each one of them was too small to survive on the market.
This strategy worked and remains valid to this day. The original forty-two have become 190 families, and the plots they farm have not grown larger over the decades, but rather more fragmented. Those who own a vineyard here usually own several small ones, each with a different exposure to the sun.
Andreas Kofler has led the cooperative as chairman since 2014. In the cellar, Erwin Carli is in charge, having taken over the work of Othmar Donà, to whom the winery owes a large part of its international reputation.
A cooperative functions differently than a winery with a single owner. What arrives in the cellar in autumn comes from hundreds of small parcels belonging to families who have often held their vineyards for generations. The cellar does not decide what grows, but what becomes of it.
Seven sites between Brenntal and Graun
The cooperative's vineyards are spread across seven named sites, and no two are alike.
At the very bottom lies Brenntal at 220 to 300 meters, the warmest strip of the region, where Merlot and Cabernet reach a ripeness that no one would expect so far north. Above this follow Mazon at 350 to 450 meters, one of Italy's most renowned Pinot Noir sites, and the Kofl above the hamlet of Penon between 450 and 600 meters.
Penon itself and Glen range from 450 to 700 meters, while the Hofstatt site lies between 500 and 650 meters. And at the very top, at 800 to 900 meters, lies Graun, where the grapes need weeks longer to ripen than in the valley. Eighty percent of these areas are on slopes, a good portion of which are so steep that work can only be done on foot.
The climate is Alpine-continental with a Mediterranean touch, and roughly three hundred sunny days a year are part of it. However, the decisive factor is less the sun than the difference between day and night.
In the evenings, cool air from the foothills of the Dolomites drops into the Adige Valley, and the temperature plummets by several degrees. As a result, the grape ripens more slowly and retains its acidity instead of losing it in a warm night. The freshness one notices later in the glass is created in these very hours after sunset.
Site by site, wine by wine
The house summarizes its approach in four words that stand above everything else: site by site, wine by wine.
Practically, this means three lines. The Selection line consists of regional wines that combine many small parcels to create a picture of the area, such as the Pinot Grigio or the Sauvignon Blanc. The Terroir line bears the site names on the label, from the Pinot Blanc Hofstatt to the Sauvignon Blanc Kofl.
Above this is Freienfeld as its own flagship, and the Freienfeld Chardonnay Riserva shows how high a South Tyrolean Chardonnay can reach. Among the reds, the Lagrein leads the autochthonous side, while the SOMA Merlot Cabernet comes from the lowest gardens.
In between lies a whole range: the white wine cuvée Amos from the highest parcels, the Pinot Noir from southwest-facing slopes, and the Kirchhügel Cabernet Riserva from a single steep site. Those who wish to compare vintages side-by-side will find several wines available in two different bottlings.
Green manure instead of mineral fertilizer
The members of the cooperative have agreed on a joint sustainability charter.
Legumes are sown between the vine rows, which provide nitrogen to the soil while loosening it at the same time. Mineral fertilizers are avoided, chemical plant protection has been significantly reduced, and the diversity between the rows is not just for decoration, but part of the strategy. A vineyard with many plants produces more resilient vines.
This is not an organic certification, and the winery makes no such claims. It is the work of families who want to pass the same slopes on to their children, and in steep sites, healthy soil is the only insurance against the next heavy rainfall anyway.
A juice that needs no alcohol
For several years, the winery has also been producing grape juices under the brand name Flein, made from vines that were never intended for wine.
Harald Cronst is responsible for this part at Kurtatsch, together with two partner companies in Austria and at Lake Constance. The three have agreed in writing on common rules, from hand-harvesting to cold-bottling. The grapes are harvested earlier than for wine because a fully ripe grape would contain too much sugar and too little acid.
The result is the single-varietal Sauvignon Blanc grape juice and the sparkling Fizz made from Muscat. Both are at the forefront of our selection, and that says a lot about how many people at the table now want a full glass without alcohol.
Decanter, Suckling, and a Gault&Millau
The white wine cuvée Amos achieved 96 out of 100 points in the 2022 vintage at the Decanter World Wine Awards, plus 92 points from Falstaff and James Suckling, as well as Gold at Mundus Vini.
The previous vintage received 93 points each from Decanter and Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. The Freienfeld Chardonnay Riserva 2022 won silver at Mundus Vini and was ranked among the international elite by Gault&Millau, while the Pinot Blanc Hofstatt 2023 was awarded Gold at Mundus Vini.
Even the light Schiava (Grauvernatsch), the most affordable red from the house, scored 92 points with James Suckling for the 2024 vintage. For a wine that is drunk chilled with a snack, that is quite a statement.
The Sauvignon Blanc Kofl earned 92 points from James Suckling and silver at the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon, the competition that tastes only this one grape variety worldwide. The 2022 Amos also collected 17.5 points from Jancis Robinson.
The fact that these ratings span the entire range and are not just limited to the top wines says more about the house than any single top mark. Well done.
How best to start
If you want to get to know the winery, it makes the most sense to start with a wine from the middle of the range, not with the top tier.
The Gewürztraminer Arenis shows what the flagship variety of this area can do without becoming overly perfumed, and the Schiava (Grauvernatsch) is the lightest red from the house and should be served straight from the fridge. If you prefer it darker, choose the Lagrein for a pot roast.
For a table with guests, it is worth trying two bottles from the same winery, one white and one red. The Pinot Blanc covers the appetizers, the Lagrein takes over for the main course, and both come from slopes less than two kilometers apart.
Those who do not want to drink in the evening get the same glass as everyone else with the Flein juice, and no one has to explain it. That is exactly what it is made for.
The Kellerei Tramin comes from the same corner of South Tyrol, and you can find what else from this region is on our shelf at Eggerhof from South Tyrol. Twenty-six wines and juices from Kurtatsch are waiting for you here. Start at the bottom of the mountain and work your way up.
