Filippo Bartolotta explores how Andriano and Kellerai Terlan have simultaneously joined forces and forged their own paths to become pioneers of white winemaking in Alto Adige. In 1893, the winegrowers of the tiny village of Andriano joined forces founding the first cooperative winery in Alto Adige, which back then belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As far as the eye can see, fine vineyards at around 300 to 400 metres above sea level, luxuriant orchards and yew woods that cover the slopes, in a landscape dotted with streams and natural ponds expressing the fascinating symbiosis between Alpine and Mediterranean vegetation. The enchanted wine village is located on the western side of the Adige river, which flows from the Alps to the south encountering along the way ancient castles and deep dark forests. So when I arrived on a late summer afternoon after many hours of driving I felt I should have gone for a restoring hike in that dark forest on the Gant Mountain. I should have known better though as while I was watching the beautiful vineyards under the sun on the eastern slops of Terlano, I got caught in a very early sunset which brought a sudden overly quiet darkness along my path. On way back from Castel d’Appiano I felt as if I weren’t alone. The wolves are back in Italy, but I read somewhere we shouldn’t worry as, throughout thousands of years, they learnt to be around us. I started running not because I felt particularly scared
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Fine Wine
