Puntscheit
Signato, Renon
Never stony broke.
The old land registers for the Puntscheit make one thing clear: wine growing and farming in general have never been a picnic on this extreme site on the steep slope of the Ritten at 760 meters above sea level. The farm, which is now run by 35-year-old Tobias Rottensteiner, changed hands many times over the centuries before Tobias’ great-grandfather finally took it over as the family home. “Sure,” says Tobias with a laugh, “you can’t be stony broke here, and I drive a Ferrari!” The articulated tractor with the same brand name as the famous racing car is the perfect choice for the steep slopes – and there are plenty of stones around!
The reward at the end of day.
Up here, the residual soil over porphyry is ideal for the Kerner vines. They push their roots deep down into the crevices in the rock so that the grapes can unfold their minerality in the finished wine. Just how Mediterranean the climate is at Puntscheit, despite the altitude, is shown by the old chestnut trees that grow all around. In autumn, roasted in an iron pan on the open fire, the chestnuts are the perfect companion to the new wine. In the evening Tobias likes to sit on the bench outside the house and admire the view over the Val d’Ega to the striking 2317 meter high Corno Bianco.
A product to be proud of.
And rightly so: Someone like him, who had to take over the property at the age of 16 (following his father’s premature death) and has maintained the grounds with untiring commitment to this day – keeping the terraces in good shape and “personally knowing” every vine, as he jokingly puts it – deserves a break from time to time. Tobias is also a little bit proud of the fact that the Puntscheit wine he produces enjoys such an excellent reputation. That is his reward for all the hard work.
