The South Tyrolean Wine Road (Südtiroler Weinstraße) runs for some seventy kilometres from Bolzano southwards, along the sunny slope of the Oltradige (Überetsch) and the Bassa Atesina (Unterland). Waymarked since 1964, it is among the oldest wine roads in Italy and passes through the villages that produce the Schiava of Lake Caldaro, the Pinot bianco of the Oltradige and Gewürztraminer, the aromatic grape that takes its name from Termeno (Tramin). Seven stages between terraced vineyards, swimmable lakes, medieval castles and arcaded villages, in one of the warmest and sunniest areas of the Alpine range.
The bilingual capital of South Tyrol, at 262 metres, lies at the confluence of the Isarco and Talvera rivers and is the starting point of the road. The medieval centre revolves around Piazza delle Erbe, with its fruit and vegetable market open every day, and the long, narrow arcades of Via dei Portici. The Archaeological Museum keeps Ötzi, the Similaun mummy over 5,000 years old. On the hills that enclose the basin grow the grapes of Santa Maddalena (St. Magdalener), Schiava and Lagrein: the town's two historic reds.
A few kilometres to the south-west you enter the Oltradige and the scattered municipality of Appiano (Eppan), made up of the villages of San Michele, San Paolo and Cornaiano. It is one of the areas with the highest density of castles and noble residences in the Alps, the "Ansitze" with their bay-window façades in the Überetscher style. Above the vineyards tower Castel d'Appiano (Hocheppan), with a chapel of Romanesque frescoes, and the ruins of Castel Boymont. At the foot of the mountain, the Monticolo lakes are swimmable and surrounded by woodland. Here the home grape is Pinot bianco (Weissburgunder).
Caldaro (Kaltern) gives its name to the warmest swimmable lake in the Alps, a shallow basin where in summer the water tops 27 degrees. The village is the wine-making heart of the road: it is home to the provincial wine museum (Südtiroler Weinmuseum), which traces South Tyrolean viticulture from historic tools to the barrels. The signature wine is the Lake Caldaro (Kalterersee), a light red from the Schiava grape, to be drunk cool. The centre preserves the arcaded houses and bay windows of the Überetscher style, among the squares and cellars.
Termeno (Tramin) is the homeland of Gewürztraminer: the most famous aromatic grape of South Tyrol bears the German name of the village, cited for its wines as early as the Middle Ages and documented as an altar wine in the fifteenth century. Above the village, the little church of San Giacomo at Kastelaz holds a cycle of Romanesque frescoes with a fantastical bestiary among the oldest in the Alps. Every two years the village hosts the Egetmann, a masked carnival procession with centuries-old roots. All around, the vineyards produce the spicy, coppery white that made the village famous.
At Cortaccia (Kurtatsch) the vineyards climb in terraces from the valley floor, at just over 200 metres, up to more than 900 metres of altitude: one of the widest vineyard elevation ranges in Europe, which in a few kilometres passes from warm reds to mountain whites. In the low, sunny belt ripen full-bodied Merlot, Cabernet and Gewürztraminer; higher up the whites stay fresh and savoury. A wine trail crosses the farmsteads and pergolas above the village, with centuries-old vines and wide views over the Adige valley.
Egna (Neumarkt) is the merchant village of the Bassa Atesina, grown up along the Brenner trade route and included among "I Borghi più belli d'Italia" (Italy's most beautiful villages). Its identity lies in the arcades (Laubengang): a long covered walkway, among the most characteristic in South Tyrol, marked by projecting oriels, wrought-iron signs and terraced houses. Under the vaults open shops, cafés and inns, a reminder of the warehouses and medieval trade. This is the stage to walk unhurried, in the shade of the arcades.
Magrè (Margreid), at the southern tip of South Tyrol, closes the route. In the Vicolo dei Conti grows the oldest dated vine in Europe: the scion was grafted in October 1601 and for over four centuries it has climbed the façade of the Augustin residence, today a natural monument. The village preserves Gothic courtyards and portals, fountains and manor houses among the rows of vines. A little further south the linguistic and provincial border gives way to Trentino: here the South Tyrolean Wine Road reaches its conclusion, among the oldest vines and the warmest villages of the region.
The Wine Road can be travelled all year round, but it is at its best in three seasons: the spring of the apple blossom, the summer of swims in Lake Caldaro and the autumn of the harvest, when the cellars open for tastings and the farmsteads celebrate the Törggelen with new wine and chestnuts. The natural means is the car, but the valley is also served by the Brenner railway (stations at Ora, Egna-Termeno and Salorno) and by the Adige cycle path, flat and well waymarked. Many cellars and farmsteads offer tastings and direct sales all along the route.
Along the Wine Road rural hospitality is entrusted to the farmsteads (Höfe) set among the vineyards and apple orchards, many belonging to the Gallo Rosso (Red Rooster) label. Several estates sell their own wine, speck, apples and apple juice directly, and serve local produce at the table. Breakfast with bread, jams and cheeses from the farm is the rule, and the short distances make it possible to reach each stage in under half an hour. Sleeping among the vine rows, with the castles of the Oltradige in the background, is the most fitting way to experience this itinerary.
