If you love dry German and Austrian Rieslings, you’ll love today’s wine. If you love the mineral, floral whites of Alpine regions like the Savoie, you’ll love today’s wine. In fact, if you can picture a wine that combines elements of both (or, rather, all three), you’ve got a pretty good idea of what to expect from Köfererhof and its chiseled, fragrant Kerner from the 2018 vintage.
Kerner is a “cross” grape, originally bred in the 1920s in Württemberg, Germany, from a combination of Riesling and Trollinger (a.k.a. Schiava). It was designed to thrive in challenging conditions, such as those in the high-elevation vineyards at Köfererhof, which nestle in the Dolomite foothills of Italy’s German-speaking Alto Adige. Unless you’re brand-new to SommSelect, you know how crazy I am for this visually stunning, culturally distinct Italian borderland. Along with neighboring Friuli-Venezia Giulia, this is where I look for Italy’s greatest white wines, grown on the slopes of cavernous mountain river valleys and home to ‘Germanic’ cultivars like Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Müller Thurgau, and yes, Kerner (which is grown widely in Germany). The tiny Köfererhof estate, owned by the Kerschbaumer family since 1940 but dating back much farther than that, is the kind of pristine little gem we love to celebrate at SommSelect. Today’s 2018 takes you right there, to vineyards at 800 meters overlooking the glistening Isarco River. It’s a magical spot, and this wine does it justice—so if crisp, deeply mineral, perfumed whites are your thing, get yourself some!
Known alternately as the Alto Adige or Südtirol (South Tyrol), this region is nominally ‘Italian’ (it’s the province of Bolzano, ceded by Austria to Italy after WWI) but culturally and linguistically German. You’ll see both Italian and German on the Köfererhof label, which the Kerschbaumers introduced in the mid-1990s after generations of selling their fruit to the Abbazia di Novacella nearby. They farm just five hectares of vineyards in an assortment of soils that include glacial moraine (sand, gravel, silt) as well as more weathered primary rock (granite, shale, slate) in some spots. Although proprietor Gunther Kerschbaumer grows a wide range of whites, Kerner comprises a substantial percentage of his production, as it is perfectly suited to the high altitudes and wide diurnal temperature swings of the Isarco Valley.
The conventional wisdom on Kerner is that is a little richer on the palate and slightly less acidic than its ‘parent,’ Riesling. It was crossbred for hardiness by viticulturist August Herold, who named the grape for Justinius Kerner (1786-1862), a famous poet, doctor, and prolific wine drinker who was born in Württemberg. The variety has become something of a specialty of the Valle d’Isarco region, in the Dolomites northeast of Bolzano, and there’s a lot to recommend it: Like Riesling, it ages well, taking on more exotic ‘petrol’ notes as it does and expressing deep crushed-stone minerality.
Today’s 2018 is a bright yellow-gold with flecks of green in the glass, with some intriguing ‘green’ notes on the nose as well: kaffir lime, mint, and savory green herbs along with more Riesling-associated scents of white peach, mango, citrus, white flowers, and wet slate. It is a little north of medium-bodied, texturally reminiscent of something from Alsace as opposed to, say, the Mosel, with a spicy, flinty finish. It is also bone-dry and beautifully suited to first-course salads, cured meats, and lighter seafoods well-dosed with lemon and green herbs. Serve it in all-purpose white wine stems at 45-50 degrees now and over the next 3-5 years and you’ll experience a small, hands-on vintner at the top of his game. Pair it with the attached recipe, which has nothing whatsoever with the lederhosen-clad Südtirol but will bring out the best in this delicious white. Enjoy!
