Author: Daniel Erne

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Schreckbichl Winery/ Cantina Colterenzio, Alto Adige

The Top Wines of South Tyrol by Schreckbichl

The marvelous white wines of Cantina Colterenzio in Alto Adige/Südtirol now enlarge our program.

History

„Rebels and Pioneers“: In 1960, 26 winegrowers in Schreckbichl (near Eppan) founded their own Cooperative to ensure their independence from wine merchants.

These rebels named their newly formed cooperative after their home town of Schreckbichl or in Italian, Colterenzio. Pioneers they were as well. From the beginning they focused on quality and the central principle of „back to the roots“ which is still guiding them today.

When Luis Raifer stepped in as managing director of the young cooperative in 1979 he recognised the potential of South Tyrol to bring high quality wine to the world.

Quality Standards

The Terrior was favorable, enough vineyards were available, and the wine growers hard-working. As a first step, Luis Raifer took a look at his vineyard Lafóa, which is situated on a sun-drenched ridge behind the winery at 430 meters, and replaced the Vernatsch vines with Cabernet Sauvignon and then later Sauvignon Blanc. In this way, the „Lafóa Thought Process“ was formed. The introduction of these new quality standards meant one thing: less yield for higher quality grapes and higher quality wines.

The 300 Winegrowers

The current managing directors, Hubert Dorfmann, leads Schreckbichl with the same consistency and guiding principle. The foundation is built on three hundred wine growers. Members of Kellerei Schreckbichl and their families work year around in their vineyards in order to be able to harvest their grapes each fall and deliver them to the winery.

Fourteen different grape varieties are grown on the 300 total Hectars of vineyards. These lie between 750 and 2100 feet. The vineyards are protected by the Alps, receive 1800 hours of sunlight per year, enjoy winds off of lake Garda, experience warm days and cold nights which all come together to provide ideal conditions for the vines.  

In the vineyard and cellar

It has always been important to the winery to work in harmony with nature in the vineyard as well as the wine cellar. Since 2009, the winery has taken increased steps to developing more sustainable agricultural practices with renewable energy such as solar panels and heat recovery systems.

The harvest is done entirely by hand and much of the work in the wine cellar is done with the help of gravity. Thanks to the membrane presses, a gentle pressing is able to be achieved which allows for the valuable aromatics to be preserved allowing the wine a more intense and complex aroma. Through the skill and ability of the cellar master, Martin Lenmayr, the quality of the wine is protected which was so carefully cultivated in the vineyard with hard work and passion.

Awards

The winery has been awarded the highest score Three Glasses for the tenth time by the most renowned Italian wine publication Vini d’Italia Gambero Rosso.

The 2016 „LR“ Bianco Riserva was recently awarded 97 points by Veronelli and chosen as the best white wine in Italy.

Our Selection

In our selection you will find numerous South Tyrolian wines:

The ALTKIRCH Chardonnay, a fitting accompaniment with food or as an everyday wine, is from their Selection line. The BERG Pinot Bianco comes out of the best Pinot Blanc vineyard site in Alto Adige, Berg, in Eppan. Additionally, the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from the premium LAFÓA line which with its‘ artistic labels displaying the personification of the spirit of nature.

The wines of the Schreckbichl winery are a call for authentic enjoyment and aim to be drunk with pleasure and enjoyment!

Alto Adige, Berg Pinot Bianco, Best White Wine Italy, Cantina Colterenzio, Chardonnay from Südtirol, Kellerei Schreckbichl, Lafoá, Lafóa, LR, LR Bianco Riserva, Sauvignon Blanc Aldo Adige, Südtirol

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Bret Brothers & La Soufrandière

marc-antoine_jean-guillaume_jean-philippe_bret ©bretbrothers.com

Top BIO winemaker out of the Mâconnais

The chardonnays of the wineries Bret Brothers and La Soufrandière from the Mâconnais, Burgundy are sure to satisfy any chardonnay fan.

In 1947, Jules Bret, the grandfather of the brothers Marc-Antone Bret, Jean-Guillaume Bret, and Jean-Philippe Bret bought the winery La Soufrandière in Vinzelles in the Mâconnais wine region of southern Burgundy.

At the time, the scarce 6 hectare winery was comprised of the vineyards Pouilly – Vinzelles Climat „Les Quarts“, Pouilly – Vinzelles Climat „Les Longeays“ and Mâcon – Vinzelles „Le Clos de Grand-Père“.

The three brothers took over the family business in the year 2000 and immediately decided to transition to an organic and even biodynamic winery. The winery has been organically certified (BIO) since 2006.

Doing the work by hand, in a natural rhythm with life (following the moon and planets), the ploughing of vineyards with horses, the renouncement of herbicides and synthetic pesticides, no useage of pure bred yeast varieties, minimal use of sulfites, and exclusive use of natural cork is the only correct way to produce extraordinary wines that are balanced, lively, and reveal their Terroir.

In 2016, five hectares of organic vineyards are added in Saint Véran, Pouilly-Fuissé and a small parcel of Aligoté.

2001, the three brothers establish the micro winery Bre Brothers with the goal of producing high quality terroir wines from Mâconnaise and red wines from Beaujolais. Bret Brothers has also been organically certified (BIO) since 2006. This ambitious goal undoubtedly requires a number of specifications that are very important to the brothers.

The grapes here are processed with the same care and passion as at La Soufrandière.  The outstanding quality of the wines from the three brothers has been repeatedly confirmed by the overwhelming praise from the international press.

We have been tasting the chardonnays from Bret Brothers for a number of years and are continually impressed by their outstanding quality and the extraordinary price to performance ratio. Since January 2021, you can purchase a selections of Bret Brothers and La Soufrandière wines in our web shop:

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ZUR WEINSTEIGE -Outstanding Restaurant/Wine 2020

Our flagship ZUR WEINSTEIGE – Hotel.Schlösschen.Gourmetrestaurant – only a 5 minutes walk on foot from Weinhaus Stetter – was awarded “Outstanding Restaurant/Wine” in the category Hotel Restaurant.

16.06.2020
Wines of Germany (DWI) in cooperation with Original SELTERS and DER FEINSCHMECKER “Outstanding Restaurants” is awarded to an establishment with an exceptional focus on wines of German regionality. Hotel and Restaurant “Weinsteige” in Stuttgart emerged as the winner in the category of Hotel Restaurant.

For the DWI Managing director Monika Reule, this year’s seventh anual competition is particularly important in view of the difficult times for the hospitality industry due to COVID-19. She explains:

With our awards, we want to show wine lovers restaurants where the regional wines are featured exceptionally well and skillfully paired with great dishes. We also hope to generate additional business for both the restauranteurs and the featured wine makers and thus create a supportive promotion for the businesses.

This year, the prizes will be awarded on site and in the presence of one of the judges who will also give the congratulatory speech to the respective winner. The judges includes SELTERS Managing director Otto J. Völker, deptuy editor-in-chief of DER FEINSCHMECKER Gabriele Heins as well as Christina Fischer, Paula Bosch, and Gunnar Tietz. Every year the team sets a high quality standard for the evaluation of the restaurants. For example, in addition to the scope and quality of the wine list, factors such as pricing, employee training, wines by the glass offerings, and the possibility of hosting wine events are factors in the judge’s descision making.

“Ausgezeichnete Weingastronomie 2020” – the judge’s Award
Category Hotel Restaurant

Weinsteige, Stuttgart

www.zur-weinsteige.de

Translated from German:

Whether wine lover, wine freak, collector, or simly wine drinker, if you have the luck and opportunity to tour the historic vaulted-ceilinged wine cellar built in 1870 with its’ splendid wine collection then you won’t want to resurface any time soon. The well cooled cellar houses over 10,000 bottles of wine containing special vintages, countless rieslings, treasures and top growths of Germany. Countless events revolving around wine from the Culinary Wine Evening, the regularly held Ladie’s Wine Night and the Gentleman’s Wine Evening, or the Summer Wine Festival, everything here revolves around the world of wines. Presented in the third Generation by Andreas & Jörg Scherle and their Team.

Paula Bosch
Andreas Scherle, W.Hauenstein (Selters), Paula Bosch (Jury), A.Kaul (DWI)
Interview with Paula Bosch & Andreas Scherle

WINE-LIST RESTAURANT ZUR WEINSTEIGE

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Riesling GG

VDP.Grosse Lage®

On the best vineyards of Germany, first-class sites, soil ambassadors and liquid calling cards for our vintners.

The key to the uniqueness of VDP.Wines is their origin. The soil, light and shade, wind, heat and coolness all contribute to making the wines exceptional and give them personality and character. The winegrowers in the VDP analyze these conditions in detail, consulting old vineyard maps, searching for appropriate grape varieties and evaluating the vineyards based on both their historical performance and current potential. Our VDP classification is based on a clear philosophy: the narrower the origin, the higher the quality

VDP.GROSSE LAGE® is the designation for the highest quality German vineyards. This is where Germany’s finest wines grow – wines notable for their individual character and ability to express the essence of their vineyard of origin. They are also known for their long potential cellarability. VDP.GROSSE LAGE® wines are planted with grape varieties typical for the region and matching the needs of that respective vineyard. The vineyards are precisely demarcated by parcel. We call dry wines from these vineyards VDP.GROSSES GEWÄCHS®.  

In particular, the German Riesling „GG“s from VDP.GROSSEN LAGEN® are regularly rated among the best Rieslings in the world by countless international Sommeliers and Wine Critics.

We are also of the same opinion and have, therefore, for years had Riesling „GG“s prominantly featured in our selection and continue to expand our collection from year to year.  These wines will persuade you with a brilliance, complexity, and aging potential rarely seen in other white wines from Germany.

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Weingut Aldinger – Winery of the Year 2020

Matthias & Hans-Jörg Aldinger -Winery of the Year 2020

Weingut Aldinger – The Oldest Winery in Fellbach.

In operation since 1492, Weingut Aldinger is one of the oldest Wineries in our program.

After 500 years of winemaking tradition, Gert Aldinger took over the family business. With the planting of international grape varieties as well as reduced harvest yield, Gert Aldinger set the benchmark for the region in terms of quality.

Today, the winery is in the 15th generation and is lead by the two sons of Gert, Hansjörg and Matthias Aldinger.

In the vineyards around Stuttgart, Weingut Aldinger operates 5 GROSSE LAGEN. Among others, the flagship „Untertürkheimer Gips“ which was purchased by the family in ist entirety in 1973.

As a family, both brothers make a perfect team. With great care taken in the vineyards by Hansjörg as well as in the cellar by Matthias, the wines are produced with perfection and an authentic care for the wine. „Less is more“ is the philsophy of the winery.

The consistent topnotch quality pays off. In 2020, Weingut Aldinger was named Vinum Winemaker of the Year. This was the first time a Württemberg winery was given this award.

The winery’s list of awards speaks for itself: Eichelmann 5 Stars, Falstaff Weinguide 5 Stars, Gault-Millau 5 Grapes.

Come try the Riesling „Stetter Edition“ which we make together with the winery exclusively for our house.

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Rare Vintages

On this page we will be regularly releasing limited stock of rare vintages from our cellars.

On this page we will be regularly releasing limited stock of rare vintages from our cellars.

These are wines that are aged perfectly under ideal conditions which are currently offering great drinkability but show signs of continued aging potential.

Vintages which are often no longer available on the market. In part, also large format bottles which were bottled in extremely limited quantities. Stay tuned!

We have always taken great care in our Hotel and Restaurant Zur Weinsteige in Stuttgart to allow wines to slowly and perfectly age in order to present them to our guests at their peak. The same philosophy guides us at Weinhaus Stetter.

Check back periodically so you don’t miss any of the limited, rare wines on offer!