More than one hundred years of winegrowing and exceptional vineyards in southern Alto Adige. Here, we offer each of our grape varieties the right soil conditions and the ideal microclimate. Today, our vineyards extend not only on both the east and west side of the Adige Valley, but also in the highly elevated Valle di Ronchi in southern Trentino, and on the steep slopes of the Saar in Germany’s Mosel wine region.
A distinctive style of each grape variety evolves in our vineyards, which are located at elevations ranging from 250 to 850 metres above sea level. Our vineyards enjoy different degrees of sunshine in the morning or evening and are exposed to cool mountain air or warm southerly winds. Various soil structures ranging from clay, gravel, sand, and porphyry to limestone and slate also provide ideal growing conditions.
Vineyards
Gentle valleys, powerful rivers, steep slopes
Our
Vineyards
Vineyards in Alto Adige, Trentino, and the Mosel
The mountainside location of the Kolbenhof farmstead in Sella above Tramin fulfils Gewürztraminer’s every wish. Here, on the west side of the Adige Valley, the pleasant morning sun warms the vineyard, and in the evening the brisk descending winds cools it. The Jesuit monks of Innsbruck recognized the virtues of this vineyard and produced wine at the Kolbenhof in the 18th century. The historic Gewürztraminer parcel “Vigna Pirchschrait” also belongs to this farmstead.
Adjacent to Kolbenhof is an extremely steep, south-facing vineyard, which is referred to as a “Leiten” in Alto Adige dialect. This slope drops dramatically into the deep Höllental gorge and is exposed to an exceptional microclimate. Thanks to persistent, cool descending winds from the local Roen Mountain, grapes ripen extremely slow and are not harvested (by hand) until November. At this point, they are beginning to shrivel and are particularly flavourful – perfect for the Gewürztraminer Spätlese Vigna Rechtenthaler Schlossleiten.
Below the Kolbenhof, a gentle slope with gravel soil is an open invitation to grow the local Lagrein grape variety. This is where the Steinraffler farmstead is located; its name is a reference to the geological conditions. The old autochthone red wine grape has been cultivated here in southern Alto Adige since the 13th century. The gravel soil is easily warmed in a microclimate marked by the warm Ora wind from Lake Garda, offering ideal conditions for our Vigna Steinraffler Lagrein.
Our extraordinary Pinot vineyards are located on the elevated Mazon plateau, opposite Tramin on the east side of the valley where they bask in the evening sun. This is where Ludwig Barth zu Barthenau built his eponymous estate at the end of the 19th century. The professor at the University of Vienna, Austria, was the first in the region to plant Pinot Nero in his vineyards.
The exceptional vineyards, which extend all the way to our neighbouring Yngram farmstead, have been part of our estate for 80 years. The Barthenau Vigna S. Michel Pinot Bianco, the Riserva Mazon Pinot Nero, the Barthenau Vigna S. Urbano Pinot Nero, and the Barthenau Vigna Roccolo Pinot Nero each thrive in separate, individual plots. The Vigna Roccolo parcel is located in the heart of the vineyard, where vines that are over 70 years old are trained on traditional pergolas. It was Paolo Foradori’s efforts that first brought fame to the Mazon plateau above Egna. Today it is not only the most famous vineyard in all of Alto Adige, but the most highly celebrated site for Pinot Nero in all of Italy.
The Oberkerschbaum farmstead is located south of Mazon at an altitude of 750 to 800 metres. Its south-facing mountain aspect is ideal for white grape varieties. We planted the Sauvignon variety on this farmstead almost two decades ago. The grapes for the Vigna Oberkerschbaum Sauvignon ripen slowly and are harvested late. They bring the character of this vineyard to the point with crisp mineral and fruity aromas.
Maso Michei is hidden high up in a secluded mountain landscape in southern Trentino. Vines thrive in a pristine natural environment on a sun-soaked, south-facing slope at up to 850 metres above sea level. In this remarkable location for viticulture, vines grow slowly and grapes ripen late. They yield crisp, fruity, and long-lived wines: the delicately aromatic Michei di Michei Müller Thurgau and the Michei di Michei Pinot Nero with pronounced minerality. These wines are complemented by a “Trento DOC” sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero.
With the acquisition of the Maso Michei farmstead in the Valle di Ronchi above Ala, Martin Foradori Hofstätter returns to the roots of his ancestors in Trentino – to a place that exudes a spirit of vitality that invigorates both man and wine!
A great passion for Riesling led Martin Foradori to the Saar in Germany’s Mosel wine region. In 2014, he seized the opportunity to revive the traditional Weingut Dr. Fischer. Riesling grows in exceptional vineyards here. The soil and microclimate of the Bockstein site are ideal for clearly structured, delicately fruity wines. The steep slope of red slate on the Saarburger Kupp lends Riesling inimitable minerality.
Vines are trained individually on wooden stakes to benefit from optimal sun exposure on extremely steep slopes. Meticulous manual labour in the vineyard and cellar reveals the tremendous potential of the Rieslings from Hofstätter’s Weingut Dr. Fischer. Since 2017, the range is complemented by the Selection Dr. Fischer Steinbock.
Our
Wine Cellar
For the best from our vineyards
History of our wine cellar
Martin Foradori Hofstätter's credo takes shape in architectural innovations: “historic substance should be preserved with respect, but also decisively transformed to be made state of the art.” J. Hofstätter began setting innovative benchmarks in the early nineties. The family business has its headquarters in a stately building from the 16th century. Around 1900, Josef and Maria Hofstätter operated the “Schwarzer Adler” inn here and vinified their first wines in its cellar. The space soon became too small and the first expansions followed. Decades later, Martin Foradori Hofstätter grew the cellar upwards. In 1997, he built a wine tower in a modern guise, right next to Tramin’s landmark, the church steeple built in 1492. Another novelty in Alto Adige is a new type of concrete barrels that were installed in the wine cellar in 2013.