Winery

History

Sometimes renewal is needed to preserve tradition. That takes courage and the willingness to pull together. Fortunately, there was no lack of either when the Terlano Wine Growers’ Cooperative was established way back in 1893. What was a daring departure at the time has proved successful up to the present day. For wine lovers at least, Terlano wines have brought international fame to this small South Tyrolean village.

The foundation of the Cantina Terlano in 1893 took place at a time when agriculture was the mainstay of the regional economy. Apart from a few innovative winegrowers, however, who looked to the Rheingau region for new ideas and brought grape varieties from Germany and France to South Tyrol, agriculture under the domination of a few big landowners was backward.

The landlords were also the dominant factor in winemaking in the region. In order to liberate themselves from this domination, 24 Terlano winegrowers decided to join forces and founded the Cantina Terlano. Whereas red wines were more common in South Tyrol at the end of the 19th century, with a red to white ratio of 80:20, Terlano was already well known as a white wine area in 1893. Over the years this focus on white wines has been consolidated, and today the ratio of whites to reds at the Cantina Terlano is 70 percent white to 30 percent red.

Climate

It is fair to say that the vineyards of Terlano, which lies on the same latitude as Burgundy, are particularly privileged with regard to climate and nature.

The main Alpine chain protects the region from the cold northerly winds, while mild air flows in from the south to warm the southern slopes of the mountains and the nearby glaciers contribute a reservoir of fresh air to an exceptional microclimate.

In terms of climate, the middle reaches of the  Adige Valley are especially attractive, with the Terlano terroir located on its steep south- to southwest-facing slopes. For this latitude, the climate is exceptionally mild and sub-Mediterranean. During the summer months the sun heats up the land during the day, and at night the temperature is reduced by cool downslope winds from the surrounding mountains. This results in considerable differences in temperature between day and night, and this alternation of cool nights and warm days is particularly advantageous for wine growing.

With this daily pattern of air from the north in the morning and the southerly winds that usually arrive in the afternoon, the extremely warm temperatures always remain pleasant.
The annual average temperature of 11-12°C is above average for this latitude, with a maximum temperature of 38°in August and a minimum of -4°in January. During the vegetation period from April to October, the average monthly temperatures always exceed 10°C.

As the valley is wide and open to the west, the sun shines for very long hours in the Terlano vineyards, especially in the evening, and Terlano enjoys a total of over 2000 hours of sunshine per year.

The low annual average rainfall of between 600-700 mm is mostly very well distributed over the summer months. But if heavy rainfalls do occur, the soils are able to absorb all the water as they drain very well.

Longevity

In the modern world, where speed is of the essence, time has become one of life’s great luxuries. In Terlano it is a luxury we insist on. We take our time and give the wine time; every wine is given all the time it needs to mature to perfection – for years or even decades.

The Cantina Terlano winery has a traditional focus on long-living wines. White wines from Terlano in particular have repeatedly hit the headlines in trade publications with their ability to outlast the decades. The longevity of our wines is due to a combination of the high mineral content of the soils, old vines growing in complete harmony, carefully managed vineyards with low yields per vine, and the rigorous selection of heathy and fully mature grapes. Wine-making in Terlano traditionally involves the use of wooden barrels. Special emphasis is also placed on the “sur lie” method, with the wines often left to age on the yeast for years before being bottled and left to slowly mature to perfection. The slow maturation process gives the wines their specific character and complexity. The focus is on developing the complex secondary and tertiary aromas rather than the primary aromas. Proof of the benefits of this approach is to be found in the winery’s wine archive, which contains over 100,000 bottles in a collection of rarities comprising various vintages from 1955 to the present. Some of the wines actually date from 1893, the year the winery was founded.