Two almost forgotten, indigenous grape varieties are given a new life with this Comet: Fraueler and Versoaln. A few years ago, we replanted these grape varieties in our vineyards. As for Versoaln, we have drawn on the shoots and DNA of the ancient and probably biggest vine in the world: the vine that has been unfolding at Castel Katzenzunge over an area of around 320 square metres for over 360 years. The two grape varieties also gave the Comet its name: Miss stands for Fraueler (reminding us of the South Tyrolian word for miss) and SOA for Versoaln.
This Comet has become somewhat of a classic. Whole-cluster processing plays an important role also in this vintage, but after leaving the wine in contact with the skins and whole cluster for about a year, we drew it off and bottled it, allowing the wine thus to mature in the bottle for more than two years. The grapes derive from the “Margreider Leiten” (hill site above Magrè).
This Comet is a tribute to our uncle Luis von Dellemann, our former cellar master who laid the foundations for this wine decades ago. He drew on the vineyards of the Lehenhof in Terlano, where the then owner had planted Sauvignon cuttings from France in the 1930s. This old vineyard produced grapes of extremely high quality every year, which is why Luis von Dellemann decided to cut scions and graft this Sauvignon selection onto the very old and beautiful Schiava vines in Entiklar, which were grown on the traditional pergola trellis system. Today we can draw on a Sauvignon vineyard with unique planting material, and its complexity is reflected in this Comet.
We were quite surprised when processing this component of our PORER Pinot Grigio. As we tipped the grapes, we noticed a significant portion of botrytis berries in some of the grapes. The wine was nevertheless bottled. As the wine matured, we got to know and appreciate it better and better. Our approach changed: From initial rejection and uncertainty to appreciation of the influence of noble rot on Pinot Grigio. Most of this component became part of the 2020 PORER Pinot Grigio, but we kept a part aside and created this Comet.
Rainer Zierock and Alois Lageder were already concerned with climate change 40 years ago. Realizing that it could become too warm for many grape varieties in Alto Adige in the future, they carried out field trials with grape varieties from southern wine-growing regions. Cultivated in Alto Adige, these usually result in a higher acidity and moderate sugar content. Characteristics that allow us to emphasise freshness and liveliness in our wines also in the future.
For TIK TIK, we blended the two vintages 2021 and 2022, two opposite years in terms of climate: 2021 was a cool year with late ripening and a low pH value, while 2022 was a very warm year with low acidity. An exciting interplay.
Historically speaking, the value of the Vernatsch (Schiava) variety lies above all in the vineyard itself. In old vineyards, you can find many different types of the variety, such as Tschaggelevernatsch, Edelvernatsch, Grauvernatsch, Mittervernatsch and Großvernatsch. In most cases, the vineyard was complemented by other grape varieties such as Edelschwarze, Geschlafene, Lagrein and Teroldego. This mixed field blend – in German “Gemischter Satz” - creates and emphasizes the uniqueness of each individual vineyard. What makes this heterogeneity so special is that some of these varieties are perfectly ripe at the time of harvest, while others may already be overripe and others still unripe. Some grapes thus increase the sugar content, while others add tension to the wine thanks to their acidity.
The Comet MAX · XIX derives from one of these old, rare treasures. As far as we could find out, the vineyard is said to have been newly planted around 1900 as a result of the phylloxera epidemic and then supplemented over the decades as individual vines died off. The oldest vines in the vineyard must therefore be 120 years old. It is impressive to see how they wrap their long arms around the pergola structure. This high-quality, extremely complex Vernatsch was created from the grapes of this vineyard. The name MAX is a tribute to the person who has loved and cared for the vineyard all his life: Max Giovanett. He has been our vintner from the middle of the 20th century until the end of his life. His daughter Erika entrusted the vineyard to us in order to cultivate and maintain this treasure for the future.
Our Pet-Nat (Pétillant Naturel) has become a Comet classic and, thus, an integral part of the range. What exactly is Pet-Nat? It’s the most traditional form of sparkling wine. Each bottle is unique, as the still-fermenting must is decanted into a bottle, and fermentation is completed there. The MUS · XXIII is made from the grape varieties Moscato Giallo (55%), Tannat (25%) and Souvignier Gris (20%).