Winemaker Notes
Flavors are pleasant, fresh, sapid, well structured.
Pair with hors d'oeuvres, dishes with more or less elaborate sauces, seafood.
Blend: 100% Kerner
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
The Köfererhof estate sold its fruit to the winery at neighboring Abbazia di Novacella until 1995, when Gunther Kerschbaumer began bottling wines under his own label. With just over 12 acres of vines, production is limited (about 5,800 cases per year) but the wines are worth seeking out for their Alpine clarity and chiseled minerality. The 2013 Kerner is delicate and high-toned, with fresh floral and citrus aromas and juicy flavors of peach and nectarine infused with a saline note that gives it a linear drive.
A cool-climate variety suited to the highlands of Italy’s Alto Adige, where most of it is now grown, Kerner also thrives in the German regions of Pfalz and Rheinhessen, as well as Austria and Slovenia. Kerner can show a variety of floral notes, as well as green apple, apricot, tangerine, tropical fruit and fresh herb.
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.