Colterenzio
- Schreckbichl
Throughout history the northern province
of Alto Adige has changed hands from the Romans to the Austro-Hungarian
Empire and back to the Italians, and it has collected a
potpourri of tradition and technique in its viticulture.
In fact, German is still spoken and is used for many of
the wine names; and for this population, Alto Adige is known
as Südtirol. The term Qualitatswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete
is also often used in addition to DOC to classify quality
wines.
In the hamlet of Schreckbichl, south of the city of Bolzano,
is a wine growing area called Uberetsch, which has a rich
tradition and history in viticulture. In 1960 a committed
group consisting of 28 winegrowers and estates pooled
their resources to establish the Schreckbichl (Colterenzio)
Winegrowers Cooperative. By sharing grapes from 320+ hectares
of choice vineyards as well as production costs, they
control quality and marketing efforts. Adhering to their
motto, "United, we are strong," the consortium
succeeds in producing quality wines brimming with individuality,
honest varietal character, and a sense of soil. The vineyard
locations enjoy the vine-friendly climate of Mediterranean
warmth and Alpine freshness due to their unique position.
From these vineyards the cooperative produces three lines of
wines so that the consumer may experience quality Alto Adige
wines on an everyday to collectible level. The first, which
covers more than half of their production, are single-variety
wines that offer great values and an opportunity to discover
the character of individual grapes and the qualities they glean
from the unique land of Alto Adige. The next level is called
the Praedium Selection: named for the Praedium, or estate, that
has historically represented quality in winemaking, these wines
are made from grapes grown in the most prestigious vineyard
sites with very limited yields. They demonstrate impressive
concentration and consistent quality. The final range of wines
is the Cornell group, making up the most prestigious bottlings
from these producers. Grapes used for these masterpieces are
taken exclusively from the best vineyards in great vintages,
and winemaking techniques introduce modern innovations to great
traditional methods. Easily recognized by the striking image
of a castle on the label, they set standards of quality that
are rivaled by just a few other producers in Trentino-Alto Adige,
including Hofstätter and Foradori.
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