Ciao Tutti!
This weekend at Piazza Italian Market, we will taste the Bozner Leiten Sudtirol-Alto Adige DOC Alte Reben ($21.25, ABV 12.5%), a red wine from the Putzenhof winery in St. Jakob/Leifers. St. Jakob is a village and Leifers is a municipality near Bolzano, the gateway to the Dolomites range in the Italian Alps. The province was previously called Sud Tyrol and was part of the Austrian Hungarian Empire; however, after the Treaty of Saint-Germain was signed in 1919, the province’s name was translated to “Alto Adige” and became part of Italy.
The story of Putzenhof begins in 1956, when Johann and Viktoria Schweigkofler purchased the Putzenhoff estate. The road to the estate was arduous, the vineyards were old (“Alte Reben” means old vines) and had been neglected for years and the dilapidated buildings would require extensive renovation.
What looked like a poor real estate investment to the untrained eye, to the Schweigkoflers, the property’s potential was worth the price. Instead of liabilities, they saw vineyards at the foot of a granite wall, (ideal for winemaking because granite’s high thermal mass and insulating properties naturally maintain cool, stable temperature and consistent humidity); slopes with southwestern exposure, good drainage and ideal climate conditions for winemaking.
They never looked back and now the third generation of the family, grandson Roman Mottironi practices organic viticulture and manages the 5.5 hectares of vines and 1.5 hectares of apple trees on the estate. Since 2009, Mottironi began bottling and labelling the wines made with the estate grown grapes.
Even though we are not quite at the Fall Equinox, this red wine is a fall fave of mine for its unique taste due to its terroir that it shares with all the Italian provinces that border the French and Swiss Alps-unpolluted air, clear mountain streams and soils that have not been subjected to a bombardment of pesticides that results in wines that are fresh, flavorful and minerally.
Putzenhof’s range of Alto Adige DOC wines includes three white wines (Chardonnay, Kerner and Sauvignon) and three reds (today’s Bozner Leiten (Hills of Bolzano), Lagrein and Pinot Nero. Bozner Leiten is 85% Schiava and 15% Lagrein-both Alto Adige indigenous grapes. I love the Bozner Leiten for its fruity, intense nose, black cherry and violet notes, and its round and well balanced palate. Pair with Piazza’s antipasti, salumi platters, speck (Alto Adige regional specialty) cured meats, or mild cheeses; also grilled meat, roasted chicken or pork, or pasta with a classic ragu.
If your travels take you to Alto Adige, Azienda Putzenhof offers six charming rooms in its Agriturismo. Hike in the summer, spring or fall or ski in the winter!
Come celebrate our cool weather and join me to taste this fall fave of mine on Friday from noon to 5:45 or Saturday from noon to 4:45.
Cin Cin!
Jenn
Piazza Italian Market is located at 218 N. Washington St., suite 23, in Easton, MD
Contributor Jennifer Martella has pursued dual careers in architecture and real estate since she moved to the Eastern Shore in 2004. She has reestablished her architectural practice for residential and commercial projects and is a real estate agent for Meredith Fine Properties. She especially enjoys using her architectural expertise to help buyers envision how they could modify a potential property. Her Italian heritage led her to Piazza Italian Market, where she hosts wine tastings every Friday and Saturday afternoons.
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