Region: Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

Varietal: 100% Schiava

Tasting Notes: Ruby red with a purple shimmer. Subtly pronounced nose with fresh and fruity notes of violet and white pepper. Flavors of strawberry and raspberry are primary and bright, framed by mild fruit-skin tannins and accented with notes of orange zest and smoke. A lovely light-bodied wine.

Producer: The Alois Lageder winery was established in 1823 and today it is managed by the family’s fifth and sixth generation. The winery is located in Magrè, in the southern part of the Alto Adige region. With a holistic approach, creativity and an experimental spirit Alois Lageder produces wines that reflect the diversity of Alto Adige. Alois Lageder believes that organic and biodynamic cultivation greatly enriches the landscape. One of the goals of biodynamics is to build a closed farm organism and to increase diversity and fertility. The winery collaborates with mountain farmers who bring their cows and sheep in the winery’s vineyards during the autumn and winter months, following the old tradition of transhumance. This helps to increase the vitality of the grapes and the biodiversity.

Vineyard & Winemaking: Schiava is a grape variety native to Alto Adige that, until the 1970s, was central to winemaking in the region.  For this reason, the region was more well-known for its red wines than white wines for decades.  Historically known for producing light-bodied and lighter-colored wines, in recent years Lageder has started experimenting with Schiava to push the boundaries of the varietal's potential, creating wines with increased levels of concentration, weight and structure, while maintaining balance, elegance and freshness. Grapes for this bottling come from organically farmed vines that were planted between 1946 and 1986.