Colterenzio

Supplier/Importer: Tenzing Imports

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The wines from the hamlet of Colterenzio were favourites of Archduke Sigismund when he resided at Firmiano Castle in the 15th century, though the area was producing fine wines much earlier. Around 15 b.C. a Roman country gentleman named Cornelius settled here and established his "Cornelianum" wine estate and the first wine culture in the area. The Roman name eventually evolved into "Cornaiano", the village Colterenzio calls home. The Colterenzio winegrowers' co-operative was founded by 28 vintners in 1960. Over the years other passionate viticulturalists from diversified micro-zones in the area joined the collective, and today nearly 300 members cultivate approximately 300 hectares of vineyards.

Our wine

Good wine begins in the vineyard: The perfect piece of land is chosen for each variety, each and every vine is tended year-round and every single grape is carefully harvested by hand. It sounds like a lot of work – and it is. So why do we do it? That’s an easy question to answer: Only from the very best, healthy vineyard can we make good wines in the cellar. There’s no room for compromise. And that’s exactly what we stand for: Uncompromising quality and authentic taste.

Our wine is an ambassador for the people who cultivate it and produce it. It mirrors the character of the area and the grape type. And above all else, it has one aim: To be savoured with joy, with pleasure and with awareness.

Age-old winemaking tradition

“The terroir is the sum total of the natural and cultural aspects which make a wine unique.”

South Tyrol (in Italian Alto Adige and in German Südtirol) is unique in its harmony of opposite, where north and south, the German-speaking and the Italian-speaking worlds come together in a land of snow-covered mountains, fertile valleys and an unbeatable Alpine-Mediterranean climate. And the result is a fascinating microcosmos which yields wines packed with character. The Oltradige terrain and the town of Appiano on the Wine Road, the largest single wine-growing area in South Tyrol, are located in the southern reaches of the region around 10 km from Bolzano, framed by a spellbinding, hilly landscape formed during the last Ice Age and dotted with picturesque towns and hamlets.

One of the most famous and the oldest wine villages in South Tyrol is Cornaiano. Colterenzio is a small area on the outskirts of this village, and looks back on a centuries-old tradition of winemaking: As far back as 1200, its lands and its wines were given the appellation of “vinum schrechpuhlensis” in reference to the area. The hamlet of Colterenzio also gave our cellar its name, as all the founding members came from Colterenzio.

Of the 300 members of or cellar, the majority cultivate their grapes in the area of Colterenzio, Cornaiano and Appiano, while some deliver their grapes from the area in and around Bolzano and Salorno, on the border with Trentino. This vast land area guarantees a wide variety: 12 different varietals grow in vineyards ranging from an altitude of 250 – 550 metres, with a wide variety of soil conditions. The Alpine barrier, 18,000 hours of sunlight a year, the winds from Lake Garda, the heat during the day and the cool freshness of the night provide the perfect growing conditions for the grapes.