Stegher
San Giorgio, Bolzano
Standing on your own two feet.
To get an idea of the hard work the winegrower has to do at the Stegerhof, you should take a walk up the old road to San Genesio Atesino. It winds its way steeply up the slope and takes your breath away – as does the magnificent view. To be a winegrower up here you have to be able to stand on your own two feet – literally, as the slopes are so steep in places that heavy machinery simply cannot be used. A laughing Heinrich Pircher says: “I built the walls for the terracing that you can see from here with my own hands.”
A successful white wine tradition.
The long years of hard work have paid off: At an altitude of between 500 and 600 meters, the Stegerhof has become the home to top-class wines. The Chardonnay grapes especially do particularly well on the loamy porphyry soil and reward the winegrower in autumn with their ripe golden yellow juice, which is then transformed into a wine of fine elegance in the cellars of the Bolzano Winery. His son Roland, who will one day take over the vineyard, also works there. His aim is to continue with the successful white wine tradition that his father has established on the steep slopes of the vineyard.
Vines also have eyes.
The façade of the house has two painted frescos, one of St. Florian and one of St. Urban. The former offers protection from fire and the latter protection for the vines. The Pircher family has been running the farm, that was originally called Stegher, for over 400 years. Good fortune has been their constant companion since 1651. “On such a site, it takes passion and personal commitment to grow wine,” says Heinrich Pircher, who likes to reward himself on a quiet day with a glass of Chardonnay and the almost endless vista from Bolzano to the Mendola Ridge. Vines also have eyes, they say – and maybe that is why they feel so very much at home up here …
