Cantina Merano (also known as Kellerei Meran in German) is a prominent wine cooperative located in South Tyrol, Italy,
.
It was formed in 2010 through the merger of two long-standing
wineries: Cantina Vini Merano (established 1952) and Cantina
Burggräfler (founded 1901).
Dual Growing Regions: The winery is unique in that it cultivates vineyards in two distinct areas:
The mild, Mediterranean basin around Merano, which is known for its milder climate. The more extreme and alpine Vinschgau Valley, characterized by dryness and frost. This
combination allows the winery to produce a diverse range of wines from
different grape varieties suited to each microclimate.
Size and Membership: Cantina Merano boasts around 360 members, many of whom are families with generations of winemaking expertise. They cultivate approximately 245 hectares of vineyards.
Locations: The winery has two primary locations:
Panoramic Enoteca (Marlengo):
Located at Via Cantina 9, 39020 Marlengo, this location features a
panoramic enoteca and wine shop where visitors can discover, taste, and
purchase wines.
City Vinothek: Located in Merano downtown.
Cantina
Merano organizes its extensive wine production into 4 distinct lines,
each reflecting a specific philosophy or characteristic:
Festival:
This line embodies the typical and more immediate wines of the region,
emphasizing good versatility with food. These wines are often described
as fresh and fruity. Examples include: Müller Thurgau DOC Festival, Pinot Grigio DOC Festival.
Graf (Conte):
This line comprises elegant wines made from selected vineyards with
lower yields, indicating a focus on higher quality and possibly a more
nuanced expression of the grape variety. Examples
include: Lagrein DOC Graf, Gewürztraminer DOC Graf.
Vigneti and Rarità:
These lines represent the top tier of Cantina Merano's wines,
featuring prolonged aging and produced only in suitable years from the
most carefully selected grapes. These wines showcase the potential for
deeper complexity and age-worthiness within the region's terroirs. A prominent example is the Alto Adige Pinot Bianco V Years Riserva, which undergoes 5 years of refinement on fine lees and is considered a top white wine of the region. Another example is the Lagrein Riserva Segen, a pure Lagrein with an intense garnet-red color and a wide range of aromas including licorice, red fruits, and roasting.
Val Venosta: This line specializes in wines from the unique and challenging
Vinschgau Valley (Val Venosta), a dry and alpine region. The wines from
this line exhibit a strong sapid (savory) and mineral character,
reflecting the specific characteristics of this extreme terroir.
Examples include: Val Venosta Schiava, Val Venosta Kerner.
Cantina Merano (Cantina Merano Winery)
Here at the Cantina Merano Winery we are deeply
rooted in our land. Tradition, the landscape and wine growing have all
been closely interlinked in the Meraner Land region since time
immemorial. The first building block in the foundation of our winery
cooperative was laid as long ago as 1901 by just a few winegrowers.
Nowadays, after the merger of the Burggräfler and Merano wineries in
2010, our cooperative numbers about 360 members. Only with their support
was it possible to undertake the building work to successfully renovate
and extend the Cantina Merano Winery in Marling.
Its reopening in June 2013 heralded a new era.
A Historical Overview of the Alto Adige and its Winemaking (Annette Schiller)
Trentino-Alto
Adige, as this region is referred to in English-language guide books to
wine regions, is the northernmost wine region of Italy and a very
special place where Italian and German traditions merge. Trentino-Alto
Adige is a fascinating and unique region in the Alps. It
boasts of an extraordinary variety of landscapes: snow-capped mountains
in the Dolomites, valleys, streams, Lake Garda, and century-old
breathtakingly beautiful towns true to their hybrid Germanic-Italian
culture.
This
region, situated south of the Alpine Brenner Pass, has been through a
rollercoaster of invasions and was a continuous bone of contention due
to its strategic importance. Even in Roman times, the Brenner Pass was
strategically significant, on the northern frontier of the Empire. In
the Middle Ages, it served as the main connection between Central Europe
and Italy for merchants, pilgrims, and armies. Finally,
in the early 1600s Trentino (Süd-Tirol)-Alto Adige became part of the
Habsburg Empire. After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg Empire
and the Central Powers after WW I, this region was annexed by Italy.
Countless uprisings by the Germanic population followed and Italy tried
to eliminate the German language and culture.
Modern-day Süd-Tirol was created in 1948, after WW II. It was in 1946 that an official agreement was signed which gave this region extensive autonomy. Since
the 1970s, most legislative and administrative powers have been
transferred to the two self-governing provinces that make up the region:
the province of Trento, commonly known as Trentino and the province of
Bolzano (Bozen), commonly known as Alto Adige or Süd-Tirol in German.
Official languages are German and Italian. The people have Italian
citizenship.
Trentino-Alto
Adige has a very long history of winemaking, about 3000 years.
Trentino-Alto-Adige’s vineyards are true Alpin vineyards on elevations
of 700 - 3,300 ft on mostly gravelly soils. Because of the altitude of
this region, even in the hot and sunny summers night temperatures are
always cool and these diurnal temperature differences are excellent for the production of wines of great finesse. This
makes the region famous for single variety crisp, beautiful white wines
such as Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc), Gewürztraminer, and the indigenous
grape Nosiola. In terms of
quantity, more red wine is produced than white. More than 50 percent of
all vineyards are planted with the light Schiava (Vernatsch in German).
More and more vineyard area has been dedicated to Pinot Nero (Pinot
Noir). The red Lagrein vine actually comes originally from Trentino, but
the finest Lagrein grows in Gries on flatter, lower-lying vineyards
directly near Bozen in Alto Adige. The often almost opaque, dark purple
Teroldego Rotaliano, also an indigenous grape variety of the region, on
the other hand, comes from one of the few rock-lined valleys in the
northern part of Trentino. Trentino is also home of the production of
modern style red blends.
Wine Country Italy - Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige - in the Summer of 2025
From June 16 to July 3, 2025, Annette and I spent time in wine country Italy, by car.
For an overview, go to: Wine Country Italy - Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige - in the Summer of 2025
Wine Country Italy - Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige - in the Summer of 2025
Lake Como
At Villa Almana in Cernobbio at Lake Como - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Bolgheri
Dinner at La Tana del Pirata in Marina di Castagneto Carducci, Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine
Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Winery Tour and Tasting at Tenuta Argentiera, Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Florentine Steak - Dario Cecchini Selection - for Lunch at Osteria Magona in Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Running into Marco Balsimelli, Production Director, Ornellaia and Masseto, at Osteria Magona, Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto
Adige) in 2025
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at La Macchiole, Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country
Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Visiting Vigna
Lodovico and Tasting Lodovico Antinori's Cult Wines Lodovico and Il
Nicchio with his Assistant at Locanda dell' Aioncino - Wine Country
Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Dinner at Locanda dell' Aioncino, Bibbona, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Tasting the Wines of Tenuta di Biserno and Staying at Relais di Biserno, Bibbona, Tuscany -
Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia): Barrel Cellar Tour and Tasting - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Bistecca alla Fiorentina for Lunch at Osteria Enoteca San Guido (Sassicaia), Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Ornellaia, Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy
(Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Dinner at La Pineta, with Chef/ Co-owner Daniele Zazzeri, a Michelin Starred Seafood Restaurant, at Marina die Bibbona, Tuscany - Wine Country Italy (Lake
Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Cellar Tour and Tasting at Grattamacco, a Benchmark Producer in Bolgheri, Tuscany - Wine
Country Italy (Lake Como, Tuscany, Alto Adige) in 2025
Chianti Classico
(Brunello di) Montalcino and (Vino Nobile di) Montepulciano
Trentino - Alto Adige
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