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Laimburg winery

The Research Centre also operates the Laimburg Winery. Here, findings yielded by the Research Centre‘s activities in the field of viticulture and enology are pooled, enabling the production of our own high-quality wines. The range of wines includes all of the representative grape varieties of South Tyrol: Pinot blanc, Sauvignon blanc, and Gewürztraminer are the main varieties for white wines, Lagrein, Pinot noir, and Vernatsch for red wines. All of the grapes used come from the vineyards of the Laimburg agricultural estate. These consist of approximately 20 hectares of vineyards in various winegrowing areas and feature different soils and altitudes ranging between 200 and 750 m above sea-level.

Lines of Wines

The approximately 90,000 bottles of quality wine bottled annually by Laimburg Winery – and which have repeatedly won important awards at professional tastings – are available in three quality lines: The „Estate Wines“ are traditional vintage wines typical of the grape variety and are aged in stainless steel or large oak barrels. In contrast, the wines of the „Manor Selection“ are individual wines, mainly aged in oak barrels or select wines with names derived from the Ladin mythology of the Dolomites. The „Special Wines“ include the Pustrissa (produced from the especially fungus-resistant Solaris grape variety), and also the Vernacius solemnis Kalterersee Auslese, whose special nature begins right in the vineyard: In the case of two-thirds of the grapes, the shoots are pruned, i.e., at harvest time, the main shoot is severed and the grapes are allowed to remain hanging on the vine for about another 10 to 14 days. This results in a natural drying of the grapes resulting in a greater concentration of characteristic substances in the must. Following this, the wine is allowed to mature in large wooden barrels.

Viticulture at high altitudes?
The case of Siralos

Is viticulture possible in extreme sites? At 1,000 meters above sea level? Is it economically viable? Local viticultural association Tirolensis Ars Vini set out to answer these questions with its 2013 initiative: to establish a 1,000-square meter vineyard at the Geyrerhof farm (Soprabolzano) located at 1,330 m above sea level. The area was planted with fungus-resistant grapevine variety Solaris, also particularly suited to the location due to its relatively short vegetative cycle. The first vintage of production was 2018, and resulted in an aromatic, full-bodied wine, with a notable, refreshing acidity and long finish. Siralos provides an excellent example of the potential to produce high quality wine in extreme locations, given that prerequisites such as location, soil, exposure, and water availability are met, and that in more climatically challenging years, alternative processing options are available (sparkling, sweet wines, etc.). It will only be over the continuing course of the Siralos vineyard’s lifetime that we will better be able to understand the extent to which high-altitude vineyard installation is also economically successful. Fun fact: The wine’s name, Siralos, is the grape variety name, Solaris, read backwards.

Norèy

Gewürztraminer is the second-most widely planted grape variety in South Tyrol, with a surface area of 613 hectares. The 2011 vintage was hot with relatively low rainfall. An autumn with particularly favourable weather conditions yielded excellent grapes. The unique aging potential of the 2011 vintage allowed the Norèy Gewürztraminer Riserva to evolve in the cellar for a decade until its 2021 release, beginning with fermentation in tonneaux, and finishing with eight years of aging on the lees in stainless steel tanks. Norèy is a complex wine, full of character and expression; one that speaks to the potential of this grape variety, which has been cultivated in South Tyrol since Roman times. The name Norèy originates from the Ladin language, and can be translated as „white alpine rose with magical and curative powers.“

Award-winning wines of the Laimburg Winery in 2020 and 2021

The Stone Cellar When, in the late 1980s, the Laimburg Winery was confronted with the necessity of obtaining additional space for storing its barrels and wine bottles, the decision was made to expand into the side of the nearby Mitterberg mountain....

The Stone Cellar

When, in the late 1980s, the Laimburg Winery was confronted with the necessity of obtaining additional space for storing its barrels and wine bottles, the decision was made to expand into the side of the nearby Mitterberg mountain. Thus, in 1989/90, about 4,000 cubic meters of rock were blasted from the mountain‘s red porphyry using 5,000 kg of dynamite. A barrique barrel and bottle-storage cellar offering a naturally constant ambient temperature was then established here. A vaulted room with 300 square meters of floor space was also built. It represents a unique example of both traditional and contemporary wine architecture and serves as a suitable venue for presenting the wine land of South Tyrol on official occasions.

Günther Pertoll Head of Laimburg Winery T. +39 0471 969 590 landesweingut-cantina@laimburg.it

Günther Pertoll
Head of Laimburg Winery

T. +39 0471 969 590
landesweingut-cantina@laimburg.it