Bergmannhof, Vernatsch Südtirol/Alto Adige, Italy 2021 (750mL)

With just a few hectares of vines on the outskirts of Bolzano, the Pichlers have been proud grape growers in their locale of Eppan since the mid-1800s. Wine bearing the “Bergmannhof” name, however, didn’t come until 1978 when Karl and Josef Pichler, fueled by their family’s generations-deep expertise, began crafting their own wines. Today, Karl’s grandson, Johannes, overseas their small-scale operation with fastidious detail via manual vineyard work, organic certification, and the minimal output of emissions as a member of the “Climate Neutral Alliance.”

When the Südtirol was part of Austria, it was considered part of the “warm” south and therefore better suited to red wine production. The capital city, Bolzano, which sits in a basin at the confluence of the Isarco and Adige Rivers, gets very hot in the summer, and warm air currents rush up through the Adige Valley from Lake Garda to the south. The most-planted red grape here is Schiava (also known as Vernatsch and Trollinger), and it’s long been the “workhorse” of the Italian Dolomites. In recent decades, this is a wine that has found fame alongside the likes of Trousseau and Poulsard from France’s Jura—wine-bar staples of seemingly effortless charm. But Bergmannhof puts serious effort into theirs.

Today’s Vernatsch is sourced from their handful of Certified Organic estate vines due west of Bolzano. Although the vines are 20 years of age and younger, the parcels themselves have been hand-farmed by the family for generations. After a manual harvest in September of 2021, the grapes were transported to their cellar to begin a spontaneous fermentation in large, neutral oak barrels. Upon completion, the wine continued maturing on lees for an additional six months. It was bottled unfiltered in the Spring of 2022. 

Served between 55-60 degrees (not any higher!) in all-purpose stems, Bergmannhof’s 2021 Vernatsch reveals gorgeous, translucent hues of ruby and vermilion. The nose greets you with soft and deeply refreshing aromas of wet green strawberry, grapefruit peel, crushed raspberry, spiced red plum, damp moss, bay laurel, and blood orange. The medium-bodied palate is ethereal and electrifying, gushing with soft, juicy textures within a light mineral frame. It’s incredibly delicious, rendering a one-glass limit impossible. While the pairings for today’s wine are endless, this is certainly a bottle that should find its way onto this year’s Thanksgiving table if you’re able to keep your stash that long!