Alcohol: 13.5%
Grape(s): 60% Pinot Bianco, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Sauvignon
Localization: Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Tasting Notes: “A composition of Terlano’s three most traditional white varieties, namely Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Sauvignon, this old cuvée, which was one of the wines produced when the winery was founded, is an extremely complex wine. Pinot Bianco, as the main variety used in the cuvée, provides the freshness and a good acid structure, while Chardonnay delivers a pleasing warmth and mellowness and Sauvignon Blanc adds the fine aromatic character.”
95 points, James Suckling: “Lots of fresh flowers, limes, sliced apples and honeysuckle on the nose with candied lemon and heather notes. Full-bodied with a light phenolic tension, rich with lots of citrus peel and minerals in the finish. Concentration with freshness. Pinot bianco, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Drink or hold. 95 points.” –James Suckling, May 30, 2024
Food pairing: Try with seafood stews, spring rolls, rosemary roasted chicken, or pork loin with cream and apples to achieve nirvana.
The Domain: Sometimes renewal is needed to preserve tradition. That takes courage and the willingness to pull together. Fortunately, there was no lack of either when the Terlano Wine Growers’ Cooperative was established way back in 1893. What was a daring departure at the time has proved successful up to the present day. For wine lovers at least, Terlano wines have brought international fame to this small South Tyrolean village.
The foundation of the Cantina Terlano in 1893 took place at a time when agriculture was the mainstay of the regional economy. Apart from a few innovative winegrowers, however, who looked to the Rheingau region for new ideas and brought grape varieties from Germany and France to South Tyrol, agriculture under the domination of a few big landowners was backward.
The landlords were also the dominant factor in winemaking in the region. In order to liberate themselves from this domination, 24 Terlano winegrowers decided to join forces and founded the Cantina Terlano. Whereas red wines were more common in South Tyrol at the end of the 19th century, with a red to white ratio of 80:20, Terlano was already well known as a white wine area in 1893. Over the years this focus on white wines has been consolidated, and today the ratio of whites to reds at the Cantina Terlano is 70 percent white to 30 percent red.
