Summary
Kellerei Bozen (Italian: Cantina Bolzano) is one of the most respected cooperative wineries in South Tyrol. It was created in 2001 from the merger of the two long-established Bolzano wineries Gries and St. Magdalena, and today unites around 220 growers who farm about 350 hectares of vineyard around the provincial capital. Its heart beats for the two Bolzano signature grapes: deep, dark, powerful Lagrein and fruity, charming St. Magdalener from the Vernatsch grape. With wines like the Lagrein Riserva Taber, the winery has proven that cooperative wine can be world class – an ambition it has also embodied since 2018 in a striking new winery building in the Moritzing district.
History
The winery's roots reach far back into the 20th century. As early as 1908, growers in the Bolzano district of Gries joined forces to form the Kellerei Gries, which soon specialised in the local Lagrein. 1930 saw the founding of the Kellerei St. Magdalena, named after the famous wine hill above Bolzano, whose fruity Vernatsch became known far beyond the region.
For decades both cooperatives worked independently before merging in 2001 to form today's Kellerei Bozen. The merger pooled vineyards, experience and cellar technology – and laid the foundation for the rise to one of South Tyrol's finest addresses. The provisional high point of this development is the move in autumn 2018 into a new, architecturally striking winery building in the Moritzing district, where the members' harvest has since been processed centrally across some 20,000 square metres.
Location & Terroir
The winery's vineyards lie in the Bolzano basin, where the Isarco and Adige rivers meet – one of the warmest spots in South Tyrol. The members' vines are spread across the classic Bolzano sites in Gries, St. Magdalena, St. Justina and the Leitach, ranging from the valley floor at around 200 metres up to hillside sites at roughly 700 metres.
Defining is the contrast of soils and altitudes. The warm, deep alluvial and porphyry soils on the valley floor and lower slopes are the ideal terroir for the heat-loving Lagrein and St. Magdalener. In the higher, cooler sites with greater day-night temperature swings, aromatic and fresh white wines thrive instead. This diversity within a small area allows the winery to raise a broad range of varieties with great ripeness and, at the same time, with freshness.
Style & Philosophy
Kellerei Bozen sees itself as a keeper of Bolzano's wine tradition and, at the same time, as a driver of quality. At the centre stands the consistent work with the native signature grapes: Lagrein is raised across a broad spectrum – from the accessible, juicy Rubino to the densely woven Riserva aged in barrel. St. Magdalener remains the fruity, uncomplicated everyday wine with character for which the Bolzano hill is famous.
Under long-serving cellar master and oenologist Stephan Filippi, who shaped the Kellerei St. Magdalena even before the merger, the house has developed the once mass-market varieties St. Magdalener and Lagrein into internationally recognised top wines. The philosophy combines the volume and diversity of a large cooperative with strict selection in the best sites – underpinned by close cooperation with the members in the vineyard.
Notable vineyards & wines
The range is clearly tiered, from fresh everyday wines to the prestigious Riservas. Among the best-known wines are:
- Lagrein Riserva Taber – the barrel-aged top Lagrein and the winery's flagship
- Cabernet Riserva Mumelter – a multiply awarded red Riserva
- TAL 1908 (red) and TAL 1930 (white) – two cuvées whose names recall the founding years of the two original wineries
- St. Magdalener Klassisch – the fruity Vernatsch from the Bolzano hill
- Aromatic whites such as Gewürztraminer, Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay
Awards
Since its founding, Kellerei Bozen has ranked among the very top of South Tyrol's producers and regularly earns the highest scores. Outstanding is the record of the Lagrein Riserva Taber, which has already received the „Tre Bicchieri“ 18 times from the Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso; the Cabernet Riserva Mumelter has been honoured three times with this top award. At Falstaff and other leading tastings, too, the winery's wines regularly count among the best-rated in South Tyrol – proof that cooperative viticulture and international top quality can come together here.