Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is a highly versatile wine both in terms of its approachable drinking style and its affordable price tag. The Alois Lageder 2022 Pinot Bianco Versalto shows crisp aromas of unripe pear and orchard-fresh apple. The primary fruit is followed by tea biscuit and macadamia nut. Versalto reveals a very crisp and direct personality, thanks to lees aging in stainless steel and oak barrel (for nine months). This 20,000-bottle release definitely showcases that luminous and crisp Dolomitic quality that you want to see in an Alto Adige white.
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James Suckling
A restrained and minerally wine. Aromas of slate, stones and candied lemons. The attack is soft and smooth, with refreshing, slightly tingling acidity and a light body. It’s simple yet clean in the finish.
Approachable, aromatic and pleasantly plush on the palate, Pinot Blanc is a white grape variety most associated with the Alsace region of France. Although its heritage is Burgundian, today it is rarely found there and instead thrives throughout central Europe, namely Germany and Austria, where it is known as Weissburgunder and Alto Adige where it is called Pinot Bianco. Interestingly, Pinot Blanc was born out of a mutation of the pink-skinned Pinot Gris. Somm Secret—Chardonnay fans looking to try something new would benefit from giving Pinot Blanc a try.
A mountainous northern Italian region heavily influenced by German culture, Trentino-Alto Adige is actually made up of two separate but similar regions: Alto Adige and Trentino.
Trentino, the southern half, is primarily Italian-speaking and largely responsible for the production of non-native, international grapes. There is a significant quantity of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Merlot produced. But Trentino's native and most unique red variety, Teroldego, while still rare, is gaining popularity. It produces a deeply colored red wine rich in wild blackberry, herb, coffee and cocoa.
The rugged terrain of German-speaking Alto Adige (also referred to as Südtirol) focuses on small-scale viticulture, with great value placed on local varieties—though international varieties have been widely planted since the 1800s. Sheltered by the Alps from harsh northerly winds, many of the best vineyards are at extreme altitude but on steep slopes to increase sunlight exposure.
Dominant red varieties include the bold, herbaceous Lagrein and delicate, strawberry-kissed, Schiava, in addition to some Pinot Nero.
The primary white grapes are Pinot grigio, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot blanc, as well as smaller plantings of Sauvignon blanc, Müller Thurgau. These tend to be bright and refreshing with crisp acidity and just the right amount of texture. Some of the highest quality Pinot grigio in Italy is made here.