Greel
Coste di Bolzano
Perfect conditions for Sauvignon.
Thanks to the pergolas, the last few meters to the Greel in Costa di Sopra are like going through a tunnel. The name is ancient, with various spellings – Grelenhof, Grelle, Grole – used in the course of time. Hermann Wenter, the current owner of the property, has documents in which the vineyard is mentioned as early as 1290, when a certain Pertoldus Grole was a farmer and winegrower there. Today Hermann runs the Greelhof. Together with his father Franz, he was quick to realize that the site, at an altitude of around 550 meters above sea level, is ideally suited to Sauvignon grapes. The vines growing on residual soil over porphyry are 30 years old and more.
A hardy type.
The hardness of the rock is evident from the wall that Hermann has just built with his own hands. With the larger stones he has used a splitter to get the right shape and size. His hands tell you that wine growing on such a steep slope is hard work. But that is not something he would complain about. Hermann is one of those hardy people who simply go about their work and derive quiet pleasure from the good result.
Nothing comes of nothing.
Although: a glint of pride can be seen in his eyes because his Sauvignon Riserva has been inundated with awards over the years. “Nothing comes of nothing,” he says drily. That is his limit for self-congratulation. And in fact, Hermann would now rather go back to where he is needed, to the vineyard: thinning out leaves, pinching out shoots, tying canes. “No wine has ever come of talk,” he says and disappears into the tunnel.
