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2016 Vigneti delle Dolomiti “Schiava”

Ferruccio Carlotto
Discount Eligible $26.00
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Having traded hands multiple times between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Alto Adige has more than a little bit of Germanic heritage. Maybe it’s the northern blood, or perhaps it’s the perpetual need to stay warm at stratospheric Alpine elevations, but the Sudtirolese, as they are known, are notable guzzlers, be it crisp local beer, aromatic mountain whites, or reds from the Schiava grape. This variety produces wines intended for slight chilling and major quaffing, and few have mastered it quite like the father-daughter team of Ferruccio and Michela Carlotto. If schnitzel is not to your taste, gulp down this bright, delicate rosso with a simple cheese plate, artisanal co-op pizza of the day, or Korean bibimbap.

Anthony Lynch


Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2016
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: Schiava
Appellation: Vigneti delle Dolomiti
Country: Italy
Region: Alto Adige
Producer: Ferruccio Carlotto
Winemaker: Ferruccio Carlotto
Vineyard: Planted in 2013; .15 ha
Soil: Porphyry, Limestone, Clay, Alluvial stones
Aging: Aged in stainless steel tank
Farming: Sustainable
Alcohol: 12.5%

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About The Region

Alto Adige

map of Alto Adige

In the heart of the Dolomites, Alto Adige is Italy’s northernmost wine region. Having changed hands multiples times in its history between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire (it shares a border with Austria), it boasts strong Germanic influence on its culture, language, cuisine, as well as its wines.

The mountainous geography is the principal determinant of local winemaking styles, with the high-altitude vineyards and cool Alpine climate favoring primarily crisp, racy, aromatic whites from varieties like Kerner, Sauvignon, Müller Thurgau, and Grüner Veltliner. A Mediterranean influence on climate is channeled north up the valley until Bolzano, permitting the cultivation of certain reds as well, among which Schiava, Lagrein, Pinot Nero, and Merlot fare best.

Small growers who once sold fruit to the area’s multiple co-ops are now increasingly bottling their own wines. The arrival of many quality-oriented artisans on the scene caught our eye years ago, and we now count three estates from Südtirol, as it is also known, in our portfolio. These high-acid mountain wines make for a beautifully invigorating aperitivo with thinly sliced speck, a local specialty.

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Inspiring Thirst

I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.

Inspiring Thirst, page 171