In the 1980s, Elena married into one of the oldest winemaking families in Italy’s northern most wine region, Alto Adige (also known as South Tyrol), a stirring Alpine wonderland alive with countless castles, storybook villages, lush valleys and the most stunning vineyards in the world. With her she brought vision, paired with passion. And within a matter of years that potent combination saw Elena instill innovation into age-old winemaking practices — elevating Alto Adige wines into the realm of unrivaled quality.
When I first heard about Elena Walch I was instantly intrigued. How often are women celebrated for boldly challenging the status quo? Not nearly enough. Before we left on our latest South Tyrolean adventure, my husband, Vin, and I made plans to visit her estate. The trip did not disappoint.
Where Ancient Traditions Marry Modern Elegance
After finishing a late breakfast we drive about half an hour into the heart of Alto Adige’s winegrowing region — breezing past tempting photo opps and idyllic hillside towns along the South Tyrolean Wine Road (Weinstrasse). We eventually arrive at Tramin, an adorably ancient-looking village that’s home to the Elena Walch estate.
We park and meander through Tramin’s winding passageways toward the winery. The village peacefully invites you into the past. And if we were here on any other day I would have likely let its seductive stillness transport me. I make mental notes on sights to revisit later.
The Elena Walch estate unfolds from the cobblestone surroundings and reveals beautifully landscaped grounds bringing to mind a scene from The Secret Garden. Walking through the entrance we notice how modern elegance gracefully blends into the estate’s historic architecture. Anna Marsoner, our guide for the morning, soon greets us with a big warm smile and shares tour details as we follow her to the winery’s newest addition.
We walk into a room with towering glass walls graciously offering views of distant mountains. Anna invites us down steps into a state-of-the-art fermentation cellar. We are immediately struck by the happiest of all aromas — grapes becoming wine. Built in 2015, the cellar holds immense stainless steel fermentation tanks. An LED display beams from a nearby wall and Anna shows us how the winery applies climate control technology to produce vintages to exacting standards. The room is softly lit by violet lighting that delicately shimmers off each tank. Anna tells us Elena was an accomplished architect before her marriage. The exquisite ambiance of this space leaves no doubt in my mind.
Moving on we venture deeper into the cellar entering a vast room that looks to be carved out of a mountain. Here, more massive steel fermenting tanks stand against stone walls naturally cooling the cellar air. Anna ducks us into a tunnel that runs to a dark cavernous area. We encounter rows of French and Slovenian oak barriques masterfully aging wine into expressions distinct to Elena Walch.
She tells us the first building on the property was a Jesuit convent for 70 years before being purchased by the Austrian founder, Wilhelm Walch, in 1869. From here, we head up steps into another cellar where massive wooden casks surround us from all sides. As much as the new fermentation cellar gave us a peek into the winery’s future, these imposing wooden monoliths wow us back in time.
The face of each cask bears the ornate craftsmanship of woodcarvers from Val Gardena, a valley in Alto Adige’s Dolomites mountain range. Every chiseled mark forges a story commemorating significant occasions in the estate’s history. I stare at them as if I am in an art gallery and can’t help wonder how long it took to carve out such detail.
The oldest cask dates back to 1878. But, the one I find most interesting has a delightfully mischievous depiction. Thanks to a poor translation, the woodcarver etched horns on a likeness of Moses rather than the intended halo. The largest cask is born of Slovenian Oak from Croatia and holds 180 hectoliters. Anna quickly puts the number into terms we can grasp telling us it would take 65 years and 7 months to empty completely!
While admiring these historic casks, Anna informs us Elena Walch produces 500,000 bottles each year primarily from two nearby vineyards, Castel Ringberg and Kastelaz. In total, her vineyards comprise 60 hectares. Hard to picture? Imagine roughly 60 baseball fields flush with vines.
Continuing on we are surprised to learn hands pick every single grape that goes into an Elena Walch wine bottle. I am ready to volunteer. Anna also informs us the vineyards flourish without applying any herbicides. Elena was among the first in Alto Adige to make sustainability a hallmark of her wines. This meant producing wine in harmony with nature and reducing quantity to place a supreme importance on uncompromising quality.
Taking such a position was initially met with resistance by wine producers firmly rooted in tradition, but the value of preserving vineyards for future generations has become a celebrated standard in Alto Adige thanks to pioneers like Elena. Nearly every facet of her wine production considers the environmental impact — from practicing sustainable cultivation to solar powering the estate to using corks from forests certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
A Tasting that Feels Like an Indulging
As our tour comes to an end, Anna leaves us in the estate’s garden where a table with wine glasses radiates in the late morning light. We sit down and enjoy the sun dancing through the trees and bouncing off vibrant flowers. In no time we are greeted by Karoline Walch, one of Elena’s two daughters actively working in the family business. Karoline and her sister, Julia, are poised to follow in their mother’s footsteps and one day lead the estate.
Karoline enthusiastically joins us at the tasting table. Her charming and passionate nature is immediately evident as she takes us on a journey through an array of her family’s award-winning wines. We begin with the single vineyard Pinot Bianco “Kristallberg”, the grapes of which are grown at a height of 600 meters (nearly 2,000 feet). The vineyard’s dramatic temperature swings between night and day give the Pinot Bianco “Kristallberg” a bright crispness, mineral tones and a bouquet flush with green apple and white peach. After a couple of sips I find myself indulging more than tasting. The wine sings with summer elegance and I make a mental note to serve this splendor at my sister’s baby shower in August.
After we finish sampling the Pinot Bianco we move on to the only Vigna-certified Pinot Grigio in Italy. Karoline shares that after five years a vineyard may apply for Vigna certification, which certifies the wine is born from a single, geographically-defined vineyard. Producing a wine in this manner ensures the heart and soul of the land is personified in each bottle — a guiding philosophy of the Elena Walch estate.
Pinot Grigio is my personal vice, so I am especially excited to try Elena Walch’s Pinot Grigio “Vigna Castel Ringberg”. Its rich fullness and fruity aroma immediately impresses as I sip. Now, I have two Elena Walch wines I must serve at my sister’s shower. Naturally, I want more, but we continue with the Sauvignon “Vigna Castel Ringberg”. This wine equally pleases — perfectly balancing its Alpine heart with its French roots. My wine list for the shower grows by one more.
Next, we try Elena Walch’s Gewurztraminer “Vigna Kastelaz”, the most popular and award-winning wine in her portfolio. Translated, Gewurztraminer means “Spices of Tramin”, which is quite fitting as this northern Italian treasure pairs best with spicy Asian cuisine, seafood, cheeses and dessert. One sip of Elena Walch’s Gewurtztraminer and it’s clear this is a wine that demands to be noticed. It is immensely lush and intensely complex. A delight for both the nose and mouth. Vin says this is his personal favorite.
What makes Elena Walch’s Gewurztraminer especially unique is where the grapes are grown. All vineyards in Alto Adige face to the East or West, but Elena Walch’s Kastelaz vineyard is an exception. It is the only south-facing vineyard in Alto Adige. Here, the vines thrive on a steep 63-degree slope and enjoy cool Mediterranean winds from Italy’s Lake Garda.
While Alto Adige is best known for world-class white wines, the red wines from Elena Walch should be on your radar. The last two wines we sample are the Pinot Nero “Ludwig” and the Lagrein Riserva “Castel Ringberg”.
Recently named the second best Pinot Noir in all of Italy, the Elena Walch Pinot Nero “Ludwig” is enticingly ruby red in color and delicately juicy. The finish is smooth with a slight tanginess. Definitely a wine I want to explore further.
Like the Pinot Grigio we tasted, the grapes for Elena Walch’s Lagrein Riserva come from the winery’s Castel Ringberg vineyard. Set on a hill off of the South Tyrolean Wine Road, the Castel Ringberg vineyard overlooks the sky blue waters of Lake Caldaro. A castle built in 1620 rises from the surrounding vines.
We admit to Karoline the Lagrein grape is a bit of a mystery. She informs us it is a sun-loving grape native to Alto Adige and is a cross between Syrah and Pinot Noir. In our wine glasses, the Lagrein Riserva showcases a deep red color. Its nose recalls an Alpine berry jam we enjoyed at breakfast earlier. The wine itself is robust with touches of spice and fruit and has a pleasantly long finish. Karoline points out that it pairs well with venison and other meats. Vin comments he can’t wait to try it with the wild game in our freezer back home. That is a nice thought for him, but I am busy thinking about how we can stay longer at this heavenly place.
We conclude our tasting with Karoline, but before leaving the garden we enjoy more Lagrein and a savory plate of local specialty cheeses and cold cuts from La Verre Capricieux — a stylish bistro on the property.
Get to Know Elena Walch Wines First Hand
Our time at the Elena Walch estate was a truly inspiring way to spend a morning in Alto Adige. Elena Walch’s impeccable wines are not to miss. And touring the estate is a must when visiting this part of Italy. Like us, you’ll come away with a deep appreciation for the eloquent vision and devotion to quality Elena Walch, her daughters and the estate’s staff bring to every bottle they produce.
You can learn more about these amazing Alto Adige wines and available tours by visiting the Elena Walch website. Be sure to ask for Elena Walch the next time you are at your local wine shop.
And if you don’t know South Tyrol, Italy, do your wanderlust heart a favor and discover why it needs to be at the top of your travel wish list.
Italian Food, Wine & Travel
Each month, we connect with other travel and wine enthusiasts on Twitter to discuss our latest Italian adventures. This month we dive into the Alpine Wines of Italy. Check out the below articles to explore unique wines from the Alpine regions of Italy. We will all be gathering for a Twitter chat from 10-11 AM Central on Saturday, August 5 to discuss these delectable wines. Join us at #ItalianFWT to share and discover new Alpine wines for your collection:
- Jill from L’Occasion shares Climb to the Top: Alpine Wines of Italy
- Susannah from Avvinare shares White Wines from Aosta Hit High Notes
- Lauren from The Swirling Dervish shares Hearts on Fire: A Summer Tradition in Alto Adige
- Lynn from Savor the Harvest shares The One High Altitude Wine Region You Must Try #ItalianFWT
- Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares Beef & Barolo, Two Piedmontese Darlins
- Jen from Vino Travels shares Vineyards of the Dolomites with 2013 Castel San Michele All’Adige
- Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog shares A Taste of Lugana; 2013 Tenuta Roveglia “Vigne Di Castullo” Lugana Riserva #ItalianFWT
- Gwen from Wine Predator shares Off to the Alps for #ItalianFWT
- Jeff from FoodWineClick! shares Unique Mountain Wines of Alto Adige
The photos are INSANELY gorgeous – as I’d expect from such a beautiful region of the world – but even more so when you know the story behind the vineyard! So cool – thank you for introducing it to us! Also, I really enjoyed your writing!
Thank you Robin for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed the article. Hope you enjoy the wine even more!
Your pictures look amazing. I loved the large size of the wine barrels.
Thank you Colleen. The giant wine barrels were a sight to behold!
Great wines! Great story! Love the details.
Your photos are gorgeous and your way of describing the wines makes me feel like I can taste them! Now I’m off to research where I can buy Elena Walch wines locally, because they sound divine.
Yesss, love this post! I’m in Italy now and I wish I had time to go visit these places.
Next time!
The carvings in these are insane and love your comparison to being in an art gallery! Love it
You are so right that it’s a rare thing to see a woman lauded for bringing innovation and quality into a very tradition-bound and male-dominated industry, so it’s lovely to read about Elena Walch’s success. The local area looks fairy tale beautiful and the wines sound like they match up to it!
Gorgeous Vineyard, looks like a must visit place for any wine lover. I personally don’t really drink alcohol very often as don”t like the taste, but would visit this place because it looks really nice!
I love this post! Everything about it, starting from Elena Walch’s vinegar (definitely need to visit NOW) to your experience at the vineyard and the beautiful pictures you have taken. Spectacular.
What a beautiful winery with a fascinating history! Sounds like it’s definitely worth a stop-off. Plus, wine!
What a great article, and I love your pictures! The story behind it is amazing.
Wow this looks so beautiful ! Lovely pics
Great read, I love wine tasting especially when you get a tour of the wine cellars! This vineyard looks beautiful and your photos are great, you have really captured the day. Hope you enjoyed your wine!
Happy Travels
Lucy
http://www.lucywilliamsglobal.com
this looks amazing!
I’ve been trying to explore some less well known grapes so I’m excited to look or the Lagrein next time I go out shopping. Thank you for this post and now that I know about your blog I’m really excited to keep up with it.
Wow, that sounds like an amazing day! I love visiting wineries, and this one looks stunning. I also love hearing stories of wine makers who are challenging the status quo. Will keep an eye out for Elena Walch wines!
The pictures are breathtaking. And I almost feel the taste of the wine in my mouth, the way you describe it.
What a stunning place! I’m not much of a wine drinker myself, but would love wandering through the vineyards and old buildings and learning about the process. We did a wine tour in Bordeaux and it was a really enjoyable experience! South Tyrol looks very pretty and somewhere I will have to visit next time we are in Italy!
I don’t particularly like wine but I just loooove vinyards ❤❤❤ I can only imagine how pretty this would look in autumn ❤
The fact that they pick by hand and don’t use herbicides is incredible. I would love to visit this winery.
Wow! The photographs are just amazing. We passed through the south of France on a road trip two years ago. I really wanted to go wine tasting but then we couldn’t drink and drive so we skipped that. I feel bad about it now though but there was no better way.
This looks like such a fancy and special way to spend a day! And it’s even better when you get to know a bit about this history behind it.
This sounds like so much fun! Your photos are stunning too! I’d love to go on a tour like this 🙂
What a gorgeous winery! If I ever end up in Italy, this one will be on my list.
This is one of the parts of Italy I like the most! I’m not too much into wine, but hubby is goos at wine tasting and such so when we go I just wander around and take pictures while he’s busy. I’m sure I’d love this place!
beautiful pics, the vineyard looks stunning. Now I want some wine!
Beautiful photos and very well-documented and inspiring post!
Beautiful photos & a wonderful story! Such a unique idea for a post. ❤️
The views look divine! Italy and wine are 2 of my favorite things, I’d love to visit! Great pics 🙂
Thank you for writing such a detailed and informative post about wine in South Tyrol! I never knew the area produced wine. Incredible photos too!
I love discovering family run businesses. And wine!
OMG! I want to visit Elena Walsh Winery right now! It looks ah-making! The plate of meats and cheeses is right up my alley!
Ah-mazing*
Oh no, another place I have to visit now and drink wine. Darn! haha 🙂
I will definitely be checking this place out soon
Gewurztraminer is one of my favorite wines, and from your lovely description, hers sounds fantastic!
This was a lovely read since I live in san Francisco and love, love wine! Not many women vintners /owners around the world and so this was a refreshing read!
What an amazing wine experience! That scenery looks absolutely gorgeous.
Women winemakers are no longer so unusual in South Africa, which has some awesomely delicious wines too. I agree that exploring wine cellars, with their evocative aromas, is a special thing to do.
I love your photos! Thank you for recommending this place, we love wine AND Italy, so seems like we have a new place to add to our Italy roadtrip itinerary! Absolutely love it 🙂
What a beautiful place. With a great back story as well! Love your photos. 🙂
Wow, this vineyard looks beautiful and your photos are amazing. This place is definitely worth a stop-off of South Tyrol ! I love visiting wineries even if I’m definitively not a wine lover 🙂 . It’s also so lovely to read about Elena Walch’s success story !
What a great article! Love wine haha so would love to do this.
Love the photos! I don’t think I’ve ever been to a winery but definitely seems like I’m missing out, especially in Italy!
This tour sounds absolutely amazing and your photos are stunning! I would definitely want to go here someday ?
We’ve never explored South Tyrol. The region looks beautiful, and the vineyard grounds look stunning. You have a beautiful way with words. We felt as if we were sitting there drinking the wines with you. Lovely post!
I don’t think there’s anything I love more than a good wine tour! This looks like a great way to spend a day – also your photos are gorgeous!
The cave and the grape field look exciting! I’ve been Innsbruck last year, Austria is simply beautiful.. A wine tour is def’ a great idea when traveling!
Pinot Grigio is my favorite too! Seems like you got the star treatment!
Such a beautiful part of the world – Italian wine is the best wine 🙂
looks great, i would like to test this wine.
Nice and alluring
Beautiful post! I love the name of the winery’s bistro: Le Verre Capricieux. And welcome to the #ItalianFWT group. Hope you’ll come back next month!
Thanks so much! I certainly hope to be back next month!
What a great read. Thanks for sharing your Elena Walch experience. It sounds positively indulgent. I’ve always wanted to try the wines…I simply must!
Sounds like Elena Walch is on my must visit list for a future trip. She is a real pioneer!
So few Americans know Elena Walch or her tremendous white wines, let alone the Lagrein. She is a brilliant powerhouse, whose fervor for excellence is evident in her winemaking- the results are in the glass! Thanks for the photos and beautifully-written piece. I wish I’d called in live with her wines before I visited Tyrol and the Alto Adige, but the time will come for a return to taste her wines in situ. Cheers my friend! -JvBUnCorked
I couldn’t agree with you more. She is an absolute force. Hope you get to visit her winery someday.
Such an experience! I’m getting the feeling that every aspect wraps visitors in vibrant indulgence. I would love to see these vineyards! Thanks for sharing.
It absolutely does. So glad you enjoyed it!
Your photos are amazing and the vineyard sounds awesome. I’m ready try some of the wine right now haha! 🙂
Cheers, Sarah Camille // SCsScoop.com
wow. not only are the photos really fascinating, your words are richly informative! I’ve never been to winery before so really made me so curious. Now, gotta go check out more from you blog.:)
Oh wow! I’ve always wanted to do a wine tour. Hopefully for my next birthday I can put one together.
This looks amazing! Ahhh I wold love to go here someday! Great pictures too!
XO-Lisa
http://www.thatssodarling.com
I was so amazed at the vineyard. The photo was great and information was so rich. Love to taste that wine.
You had me at, “…a scene from The Secret Garden.”
Your images are so evocative; I feel as if I’m touring the vineyard right with you.