While the Alps stretch across multiple countries, alpine wine production remains relatively rare. In Italy, alpine vineyards are often planted at dramatic elevations near the Alpine arc, producing wines from indigenous grape varieties adapted to cold, mountainous conditions. These wines tend to emphasize tension, minerality, and subtle aromatic complexity.

Many wine drinkers notice that some bottles feel brighter, lighter, and more refreshing—without always knowing why. Often, the answer isn’t the grape variety or winemaking style, but where the vineyard sits above sea level. Mountain and high-elevation wines have gained attention in recent years for being more balanced and food-friendly character, and the reasons are rooted firmly in geography.

1. Sulfur Dioxide (optional) The grapes are treated with a little Sulfur Dioxide as soon as they are brought in. This kills native yeast so that a chosen yeast can be added later. In the case of many of our wines, sulfur is not added so that the ambient yeast can ferment the wine. 2. Sorting and MOG Removal Grapes are then checked on a sorting table for imperfections and to remove MOG (material other than grapes). Stems are usually removed at this stage, but kept in some ins

Italy has over one hundred DOC’s which may be Spumante. However, most of these are produced via the tank method. Italy does offer a DOCG wine made in the traditional method, and this is Franciacorta. It is made in Lombardia near the town or Brescia, in a hilly area south of Lake Iseo. The area was "discovered" when Berlucchi Spumante launched a series of wines called Franciacorta in the 1960's. Today, sparkling wines make over half of regions production. Leading producers are

Prosecco comes from the Italian states of Veneto and Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. Prosecco used to be the name of the grape, and could be made anywhere in Italy. Once it achieved international fame, producers fought for exclusivity of the word. They expanded the region to include the town of Prosecco, and created a DOC. The grape then became known as Glera. Now no one outside of the area can use the word. The region has a warm continental climate. Glera (neutral, lemon, flo

Lambrusco is an Italian Sparkling DOC and also the name of the grape that makes it. The DOC is located in Emilia-Romagna, with a small...

A general calendar for the stages of the vine during the annual vineyard cycle and production of grapes. Budbreak - Day 1: Winter pruning has already commenced (see below). Budbreak occurs at 50 degrees (10 Celsius). Buds look like popcorn before they burst open. The vine rapidly pushes out its first leaves and clusters. Bloom - Day 60: The vine flowers. It is crucial that weather is good during these 2 weeks. Adverse weather can result in Coulure or “shatter” meaning some

There are several paths a grower can take to maintain vineyard health and lessen their impact on the environment. The most common certifications are listed below. Organic viticulture aims to work with natural systems, instead of overpowering them. A central goal is to build soil fertility using green manure and organic residues. Animal and plant habitats are maintained to encourage biological diversity. Chemical fertilizers are not allowed, and replaced with compost and man

Asti Spumante has been made since the 1850's. Although total vineyard acreage has gone down since 1960, sparkling wines from Asti have...