Colterenzio

Founded in 1960 by 28 wine-growers, the Cantina Colterenzio winery now has around 300 members and is one of the most active and enterprising firms in Alto Adige, managed for many years by Wolfgang Raifer, son of the renowned oenologist Luis Raifer who had also taken over the running of the winery back in the 1970s. Most of their vineyards are found in Cornaiano (also known as Girlan) on the outskirts of the town of Appiano, one of the centres of authentic winemaking in the region. A variety of soil types and landscapes are home to rows and rows of vines grown at altitudes between 250 and 500 metres. Quality and environmental sustainability are worked together side by side. A fresh, precise and clear style defines their top range Lafoa wines; wines created from the vines which they have seen produce the best quality fruit over the years, ideal for innovation and high standards.

All of their wines transmit a pure expression of terroir and are a demonstration of authenticity, in line with the vision of their oenologist Martin Lemayr. What is probably the most well-known of the Colterenzio wines, Pfefferer provides a clear example of this. A yellow-coloured Muscatel, vinified as a dry wine, this historic white wine was first conceived by Karl Nicolussi-Leck in 1978 with production beginning in 1979. At that time no one could imagine that such an experiment, a wine produced from a refined grape variety with subtle aromas, rarely used for single-variety wines would become one of the most widely-loved Colterenzio wines in all the world and that it would be one of the most sold Italian white wines abroad, with a special emphasis in the Russian market.

Pfefferer is the name used in Alto Adige for the grape variety which is in fact a clone of the Golden Muscat. The name probably comes from the German word pfeffer meaning ‘pepper’ as it refers to the elegantly spicy character of the wine. Pfefferer is actually a Muscatel wine with a special touch. A notably fresh and mineral drink, fruity but not excessively so, it delights with notes of nutmeg and a fine and elegant sapidity defining a strong yet delicate personality. Perfect for drinking as an aperitif, it is a wine to be drunk young and with little fuss.