Alto Adige has had something of an identity problem. A region of northern Italy once part of Austria, the language of choice often is German and the wines can have a distinctly non-Italian edge.
Although Alto Adige’s whites have slowly gained a following among the cognoscenti for their high quality, crisp profile and relatively low prices, the reds have remained largely undiscovered in the United States.
That may soon change. In Alto Adige, arguably the source of Italy’s best pinot nero, the ever-popular pinot noir, interest is growing in native red grapes, notably lagrein (pronounced lah-GRAYN). Lagrein is used to make both red and rose wines. (Read the bilingual labels carefully; I once bought a rose by mistake thinking it a red.)
In “Vino Italiano, The Regional Wines of Italy,” Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch apologize for giving short shift to lagrein in an earlier edition.
“It is undoubtedly a grape that has come on strong in recent years, with producers such as Cantina Terlano, Cantina Produttori Santa Maddalena and Alois Lageder making very distinguished versions,” they wrote in 2005. “Lagrein has an intriguing balance of sweet and savory elements — a combination of dark, coffee-ground flavors, a slight vegetal edge, and a mass of dark fruit that is sometimes reminiscent of cabernet franc.”
Bastianich, a New York restaurateur who co-owns Babbo with celebrity chef Mario Batali, said in a telephone interview that wines from Alto Adige and the neighboring region of Trentino are selling well by the glass in his restaurants. Lagrein and teroldego (teh-rawl-DEH-goh), which grows mostly in Trentino, are both “very accessible, fruit-forward wines,” he said.
Lynch, general manager of Babbo, said that he has been doing a lot of talking and writing about the reds of Trentino-Alto Adige.
“These reds are catching on, not the least because our new-generation sommeliers, they of the creative facial hair, thick tie knots and architect eyeglasses, are always looking for something offbeat to hand-sell,” he said. “Indigenous varieties are where it’s at.”
He said lagrein and teroldego “offer great, deep color and a big dollop of fruit, without overly harsh tannins. But then they both veer off in a funky, savory direction.” Of the two, lagrein is a touch more “green,” he said, with “a bit more of a smoked-meat savor.”
Adding to the appeal is Alto Adige’s dual identity — and this goes beyond labels printed in German and Italian. Winemaker Alois Lageder said the region’s wines combine “the richness and body of the south with the elegance and finesse of the north.”
There are reasons for this. The fourth-generation winemaker, whose family has been in the business 150 years, said Alto Adige is blessed with very hot days, with temperatures among the warmest in Italy, and very cool nights.
“The hot days help ripen the grapes and cool nights preserve the aroma and acidity,” Lageder told guests at a dinner held in his honor last month at Evanston’s Va Pensiero restaurant. The terrain can be mountainous, he added, with grapes growing at elevations up to 3,000 feet. Soil types vary from chalky to volcanic to glacial. All these microclimates explain why some 20 different grape varietals grow in Alto Adige, from pinot noir to Muller-Thurgau, pinot blanc to the native lagrein, gewurztraminer and schiava, Alto Adige’s most planted red grape.
What to serve with lagrein? At Va Pensiero wine director Marcus Will pairs it with a pancetta-wrapped, mustard-rubbed pork tenderloin served with braised red cabbage and whipped potatoes. The dish, he said, needs a full-flavored wine.
“Lagrein gives it but doesn’t overpower the dish at all,” Will said. “It’s definitely a rich wine without being particularly over the top. It bridges a number of categories, merlot, cabernet franc, syrah. Reds that are moderately tannic.”
Efrain Madigral, wine director at Sam’s Wines & Spirits, likes to compare it with pinot noir. Lagrein can be “pretty aromatic,” he said, with a style ranging from austere to fleshy. “The wine to me has a certain depth,” he said.
“It’s not a steak wine,” cautioned Gregg Wilson of The Artisan Cellar. “I think it’s actually a red you could do with heavier fish dishes like tuna, if you wanted to do a red with fish. … It’s a chicken, duck, tuna, swordfish kind of wine.”
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Tastes of Alto Adige
Traditionally made into crisp, light roses, lagrein grapes are now being used to make very lively reds. The Good Eating tasting panel sampled five lagreins in an informal, blind tasting. A common theme to nearly all the wines was a refreshing acidity that gave snap to the fruit flavors.
2002 Alois Lageder
Lindenburg
There’s a lively, fresh quality to this red. Plenty of cherry and plum notes but the tannins are there to discreetly shape the flavor. Peppery finish. Serve with seared duck breast and prune sauce, roast chicken.
(3 corkscrews) $23
2001 Terlan Gries Riserva
Spicy, with lots of cherry notes and a hint of violets, this red has a tart fruit finish that never sours. Serve with grilled pork tenderloin.
(2 corkscrews) $19
2002 Heinrich Mayr-Nusser
Nusserhof Riserva
Light to medium body, plenty of cherry flavor. Tart on the finish. Serve with grilled leg of lamb, mushroom pizza.
(2 corkscrews) $20
2005 Abbazia di Novacella
A sharper wine, with cherry notes giving way to a bitter aftertaste. Aroma was earthy, with a touch of wet hay. Serve with Italian cured meats and cheeses.
(2 corkscrews) $22
1995 J. Hofstatter
Steinraffler
Tannic, yes, but also a bit tired at 12 years old. Flavor of dried cherries, leather, tobacco, with a touch of raisin at the end. Serve with lamb shanks.
(2 corkscrews) $37
— B.D.
Sources: These wines may or may not be in stock at your local store; inquire first. These wines were found at Sam’s Wines & Spirits. Prices may vary from store to store. Prices are rounded off.
(4 corkscrews) Excellent (3 corkscrews) Very good (2 corkscrews) Good (1 corkscrew) Fair (No corkscrews) Poor
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wdaley@tribune.com
Bill Daley answers questions on wine, beer and spirits every Sunday in Q. Hear him on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 8:52 a.m., 11:52 a.m., 3:41 p.m., 6:21 p.m. and 10:22 p.m. Tuesdays and 7:52 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
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