FRA_GG_N45-WEB

ITALY
– VINEYARDS –
According to Laimburg, climate change poses constant
challenges for winegrowing. Cultivation at higher and
cooler altitudes is being tested and offers the promise of
enhanced hallmark characteristics, particularly for the
white wines. The ERDF Pinot Blanc project carried out by
the Laimburg Research Centre showed that Pinot blanc
at 600 m above sea level developed fresher aromas than
Pinot blanc at 300 m above sea level.
Additionally, at the initiative of the South Tyrolean
Winegrowers’ Association Ars Vini (TAV), a 1,000 m²
vineyard at an altitude of 1,330 m above sea level was
planted in 2013 at Geyrerhof in Soprabolzano with
Solaris, a hardy vine suitable for these altitudes.
In terms of its range of wines, Laimburg produces three
collections: ‘Vini del Podere’, fermented in steel tanks or
in large oak barrels; ‘Selezione Maniero’, mainly aged in
barriques and selected; and ‘Vini Particolari’ made from
vines that are resistant to downy mildew and oidium, or
from special winegrowing and winemaking techni ques.
Annual production is between 90,000 and
100,000 bottles, most of which are sold in South Tyrol.
Exports are mainly to Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Albania and
exotic destinatioons such as Trinidad.
The impressive underground ageing cellar at Laimburg
LA SOURCE
La Source was founded in 2003 by young, experienced
farmers with deep-rooted winemaking traditions.
Currently, the company is owned by the Celi-Cuc family
and Stefano Celi is its current incumbent. Born in
1971, he is a qualified agronomist and descendant of a
family of farmers in the Aosta Valley. Since 2005, he has
dedicated himself full-time to farming and particularly to
wine production.
The company has 9.5 hectares of vineyards, located
between 650 and 900 m above sea level, planted to native
and non-native vines such as Petite Arvine, Petit Rouge,
Fumin, Premetta, Cornalin and Vien de Nus, Syrah,
Chardonnay, Müller-Thurgau, Muscat and Traminer. The
vineyards are all located in the vicinity of the winery, in
one of the most wine-focused areas of the Aosta Valley.
This is mountain viticulture where most of the vineyard
management is done by hand due to the high slopes
and terraces. The absence of machines certainly entails
La Source is located in Saint-Pierre, a village in the centre of the Aosta Valley
famous for its castles and vineyards
AUTUMN 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 91