Kellerei Kaltern Caldaro Sudtiroler Campaner Gewurztraminer 2008
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Cantina Kaltern is a cooperative winery located on Lake Kaltern in the Italian province of Alto Adige. Embodying a combination of Alpine and Mediterranean influences, their wines stand for carefree enjoyment and the relaxed feeling of life on Lake Kaltern. Their mission is simply to give people pleasure. They see ourselves as ambassadors for Kaltern, its winegrowers and the wines produced on the shore of Lake Kaltern, especially the variety known as Schiava (Kalterersee) – wines that are made by a community of vintners with great sensitivity, passion and expertise, wines that offer finesse and complexity and yet remain wonderfully uncomplicated.
Their cooperative is one big family. It has 590 members or wine growers, most of whom own less than one hectare of land – on average 0.7 ha (the size of a football pitch / 1.8 acres). They are winegrowers out of passion and mostly earn a living in other occupations. They manage their historical holdings and old established vineyards with great enthusiasm.
Kaltern owes much of its picturesque beauty to them.
Gewürztraminer, an expressive and aromatically distinctive white grape variety, is considered a noble variety in the Alsace region of France, and produces wonderful wines in the mountainous Alto Adige region of NE Italy. Generally this grape grows well in cooler regions and its natural intensity makes it a great ally for flavorful cuisine such as Indian, Middle Eastern or Moroccan. Somm Secret—Because of a charming perfume and tendency towards slight sweetness, Gewürztraminer makes for an excellent gateway wine for those who love sweet wines but want to venture into the realm of drier whites.
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.