Wine growers in Italy’s Alto Adige go biodynamic

Alois Lageder Beta Delta
Alois Lageder Beta Delta

The wine growers in the northern Italian wine region and autonomous province of Alto Adige are arming themselves against global warming by planting their vineyards higher in the mountains, reports the British wine magazine Decanter. Biodynamic cultivation is also getting more popular in Alto Adige. Famous wine growers such as Alois Lageder and Manincor already are partly biodynamic. Lageder is still expanding his biodynamic  holdings, he said in a telephone interview with a journalist of the American newspaper The Chicago Tribune. He wants to eventually make his own wines, that are sold under the name Tenutae Lageder, one hundred percent biodynamic. The wines made from purchased grapes, sold under the name of Alois Lageder, are not biodynamic. Biodynamic farming is even more stricter than organic farming. The principles of the biodynamie were established in the beginning of the last century by the Austrian philosopher and mystic Rudolf Steiner.
Several vineyards in Alto Adige are currently already planted at quite high altitudes. The plantings in the region range from 200 meters to 550 meters. Alois Lageder told Decanter that twenty percent of his grapes are already planted at very high altitudes. The grape type also plays a role. If lower lying vineyards warm up, grapes can be planted there that are used to a warmer climate. Manincor for example is experimenting with Tempranillo, a grape variety of Spanish origin. This grape is used in some blends, but not yet bottled separately.