In the Far North

At Santerhof, winemaker Willi Gasser has always followed his own path, successfully growing unusual grape varieties in his vineyard’s wonderfully unique soil

When we first meet Willi Gasser, he’s got six wine bottles out, all lined up neatly ready for a tasting. The grape varieties printed on the labels all have unusual, imaginative names: Solaris, Johanniter, Muscaris, Souvignier Gris, Regent and Cabernet Cortis. As Willi begins to speak, his voice is soft. He clearly loves talking about what he does and is well versed in sharing his knowledge with visitors during tastings and vineyard tours. We listen as he explains how here at Santerhof near Mühlbach/Rio di Pusteria, he grows PIWIs – fungus-resistant grape varieties that, according to him, “are genetically better protected against fungal diseases like mildew than conventional grapes”.

PIWIs have been around for longer than you might think. In fact, 150 years ago, fungus-resistant varieties created by crossing grapes with wild American vines were grown on a large scale in France, before falling into obscurity from the mid1900s onwards. Today, more and more winemakers are rediscovering these hardy grapes, which – unlike traditional varieties – require little to no spraying and, what’s more, are surprisingly high quality.

Willi walks from the farmhouse towards the vineyard. The 57-year-old winemaker began experimenting with PIWIs in 1994, three years after switching to organic growing methods at Santerhof. Back then, there were very few colleagues with whom he could share knowledge and experience of growing PIWIs. Instead, he and his wine were treated with scepticism. “Even today, some people claim that they’ve never drunk a good PIWI,” he says with a wry smile. Determined to prove them wrong, he once presented his Johanniter wine Granitus during a blind Riesling tasting (Riesling being one of Johanniter’s mother varieties). “Afterwards, everyone unanimously agreed that the Johanniter was the best wine there,” Willi laughs proudly.

Santerhof first appeared in official records in 1541, and Willi’s great-grandfather acquired the estate in 1889. Today, ivy winds its way up the house’s thick wall, and two black Alpine pigs can be seen wallowing in the mud close by. Willi pauses for a moment, surveying his grapevines and listening to the sheep bells jingling in the distance. The herd of sheep grazing in the vineyard helps keep the undergrowth under control and assists with leaf stripping. The vineyard itself extends across an area of 2.5 hectares at an altitude of up to 900 metres above sea level. Grapevines are not a very common sight so far north in South Tyrol, and Santerhof is actually the most northerly vineyard in Italy. “Other places might be warmer and sunnier, but the soil here in Mühlbach is unlike anywhere else,” says Willi. His grapevines grow in primary rock soil formed from granite, and as he explains, “The high proportion of silicate provides the vines and grapes with important minerals.” santerhof.eu

The sky has clouded over now, and drizzle begins to fall on Willi’s short, grey hair. Undeterred, he continues his tour of the vineyard, passing the mighty apple trees growing alongside the grapevines. “Many people are still set in their ways and tend to only buy wine based on its name and label,” he says. “If they don’t recognise the name, they probably won’t buy it.” But Willi is bucking this trend by working hard to change his customers’ perceptions day after day. Most of the roughly 16,000 bottles he produces each year are sold directly from the vineyard to wine connoisseurs and wine lovers.

Back home in the dry, Willi sits down on a wooden bench and watches the rain through the window. He feels happy with what he’s achieved. The growing awareness of the need to go back to nature and use traditional techniques is music to the ears of winemakers like Willi who have long advocated such practices. After initially eyeing his methods with suspicion, winemakers from the region and abroad are now flocking to Willi’s vineyard to see how he does things. He gives everyone the same advice: “Take the time to gain enough experience to make the right decisions. And have a firm goal in mind.” Willi’s own goal is to keep promoting variety in winemaking. “Rare varieties are fantastic for awakening interest and curiosity,” he says. It’s now 20 years since Willi began growing PIWIs, and it was his enthusiasm and unwavering determination that made him a success. Much to his delight, his son Johannes now hopes to follow in his footsteps – and so the Santerhof story looks set to continue.

Is For Generations

What can different generations of winemakers learn from each other?

Generational change is currently a hot topic in numerous South Tyrolean wineries. Many young winemakers are now looking to use modern methods to help them reintegrate the traditional, tried-and-tested techniques rejected by the generation before them. Practices such as the fermenting of white grapes with their skins on to produce orange wine are seeing something of a revival. The younger generation is also placing more emphasis on creating greener vineyards and on preserving biodiversity just like in years gone by. Young winemakers are familiar with the up-and-coming technologies – and have the courage to use them – while their older, more experienced counterparts have years of knowledge to share.

Hannes Munter from the Kellerei Eisacktal winery, born in 1982, is one of the youngest winemakers in South Tyrol.