Vigna Ganger, Girlan’s Pinot Nero Riserva

In Italy, the cooperative system represents both in oenological and economic terms an important reality: there are more or less 140 thousand members, 500 cooperative wineries, 9 thousand employees and a 4.3 billion euro annual turnover. È “the other half of Italian wine” (quote the Sole24h).

South Tyrol is the region where the social wine cellars function best, they are such structures efficient, well-established and state-of-the-art which have deeply marked its identity and image, are considered among the best in the world. The variety of terroir and the ability to adapt to an area of strong climatic and morphological contrasts give rise to a multiplicity of wines that are the manifestation of high quality, complexity, character and uniqueness.

Cooperatives

What are the reasons for success? The organizational system of cooperatives is such a proven mechanism that it guarantees 3,200 winegrowing families a solid and profitable business, continuous professional development and a degree of technological innovation that the individual winemaker alone could not have. Here, the parcelization of the vineyard is an added value: label prices, thanks in part to range differentiation, are never too low; on the contrary, they are always calibrated upward.

The South Tyrolean concept is a model to emulate. With the exception of cooperative wineries that do an egregious job, there is no shortage of cases in the Belpaese of poorly run social wineries that pay their conferring members little or nothing.

Returning to South Tyrol along the picturesque Wine Road, in Eppan, a hamlet of the municipality of Cornaiano, one crosses the Girlan winery. Founded in 1923
Kellerei Girlan is one of the most authentic interpreters of Pinot Noir, although Pinot Blanc, Schiava, Gewürztraminer and Lagrein are also grown there.

In 100 years, the 24 winegrowers/founders have grown to 200, cultivating 220 hectares of vineyards scattered in the most suitable production areas between Oltradige and Bassa Atesina., total production is 1.5 million bottles divided between 55 percent white wines and 45 percent red wines that are exported to 30 foreign states. Pinot Noir or Blauburgunder, whatever you want to call it, is the undisputed leading grape variety.

The tasting

With this type, as elegant and engaging as few other wines, a passionate story of study and dedication was born that reached its zenith with the establishment of the company by winemaker Gerhard Kofler and director Oscar Lorandi. Thanks to them, the path on Pinot Noir has been increasingly directed toward the enhancement of 3 specific microareas (Girlan, Pinzon and Mazon), with the aim of enhancing its characteristics and becoming, at the same time, an example of quality.

“Le five Pinot Noir labels-Patricia, Flora, Trattmann, Curlan, and Vigna Ganger-emphasize the particularities of these subzones in different ways – affirms Philip Nocker, the Italy sales manager –. Patricia and Flora blend together with different percentages the vines from the three areas, with the goal of obtaining wines of great balance and pleasantness. Trattmann combines equal parts Mazon’s elegance and Girlan’s personality. Finally, Curlan and Vigna Ganger 
represent the purest expression that can be obtained from individual plots: the former expresses the strength and freshness of Girlan, while the latter enhances the refined elegance that comes from a single vineyard monopole of Mazon. Since 2008 we had been searching for a Cru particularly suited to the production of this noble variety of French origin. After years of microvinification trials, we chose Ganger Vineyard. From 1.2 ha you get 2000 bottles about“.

Last Taormina Gourmet Daniele Cernilli and Philip Nocker conducted a vertical with five historic vintages, many now out of print, to discover the facets of Vigna Ganger’s Pinot Noir.

TO READ THE WINE DESCRIPTIONS, WITH SCORE AND AVERAGE SHELF PRICE, CLICK ON THE TABS BELOW.