Trentino Alto Adige – Italy’s northernmost wine region

The Trentino Alto Adige covers 13,500 hectares, 11,100 of which are controlled quality (DOC) wines.  On the way north from Verona to Trentino, one is struck by the steeply rising Dolomite mountains on both sides of the highway along the Adige River.  Only about 15% of the land is cultivable, most of it to grapevines and fruit trees. 

The region produces about 1.2 million hectoliters of wine, 70% of which are red wines such as the light-bodied Lagrein and Teroldego.  Whites consist of  aromatic varieties gewurztraminer, sylvaner, muller thurgau and moscato, and world class chardonnay, pinots bianco and grigio and riesling.