Trentino-Alto Adige

The Trentino stretches from its northern borders with the Alto Adige to Lake Garda and the Veneto in the south. It is Italy's most mountainous region. The majority of the region's vineyards follow the course of the river Adige, the second longest in the country. The climate is characterised by very cold winters, but is also influenced by the lakes and rivers which create temperate microclimates ideal for viticulture.

The region has a total of around 11,000 hectares under vine, for the most part trained on the overhead pergola system, and an annual production of 850,000 hectolitres, approximately 500,000 hectolitres of which consist of red DOC wines. The regional School of Agriculture at San Michele all'Adige, which specialises in viticulture and oenology, provides invaluable support to winemaking in the areas of clonal selection, vineyard management and vinification and has had a major influence on up-grading the quality of the region's wines.

The most important local grape varieties are the white Nosiola and the red Schiava, Teroldego and Marzemino. French and German varieties are also widely planted. The leading white wines are Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, the local Nosiola and Pinot Bianco. The top reds are Teroldego, which is unique to the Trentino, Pinot Nero and the Bordeaux varieties Merlot and Cabernet, which give particularly high quality results in the south of the region at Borghetto all'Adige.

Another variety to note is Marzemino, which makes one of Italy's most interesting country reds in the area around Isera. Vias has selected a portfolio of first class producers to represent the wines of the Trentino, and their products have contributed significantly to the consolidation of the company's presence in the high class restaurant sector.

Alto Adige

The Alto Adige borders on Austria (of which it was once a province) to the north and with the Trentino to the south. Mountains dominate the landscape of this Tyrolean region, leaving space for vineyards only on the banks of the rivers Adige and Isarco, around lakes such as Caldaro and on slopes of porphyritic soils of volcanic origin at the foot of the mountains. Over 6,000 hectares are planted to vine. Annual production, the majority of which qualifies for DOC status, amounts to around 450,000 hectolitres.

The region grows principally French and German varieties, the most important of which are Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sylvaner and Pinot Bianco. The local Schiava, which is cèpage of the Santa Maddalena DOC, is the most planted red grape. The top quality reds come from Pinot Nero, Merlot, Cabernet and more recently Lagrein.