The intense, aromatic bouquet, together with soft, full character needs flavoursome dishes.
One third of the grapes chosen for this extraordinary wine come from the hillside vineyards of the cru "Girlan" at an altitude from 450 to 500 m above sea level. They grow in different vineyards with an age between 10 and 15 years. The other two thirds come from the Bassa Atesina - Cortaccia. The combination of mineral-rich gravel and clay soils gives this wine its unique character.
Cantina Girlan was founded in 1923 in an ancient farmstead from the 16th century. Back then 24 winegrowers laid the foundation stones of what was later to become the winery we see today. The walls, steeped in ancient tradition, and the labyrinthine corridors of the cellar harbour the secrets of state-of-the-art winemaking technology and hold the ideal conditions for ageing our wines.
Today, about 200 greatly committed and motivated winegrowers and their families farm an area covering about 230 hectares of vineyards in the best production areas of Oltradige and Bassa Atesina. Our enologist, Gerhard Kofler, keeps in close personal contact with the winegrowers and provides his professional advice during the growing season. This beneficial exchange of expertise sets the foundations for producing highest quality wines. We pursue the following main objectives: we seek, on one hand, to showcase and promote the historic local grape varieties and on the other, to create impressive characterful wines using international grape varieties yet keeping them closely connected to the land. This is all achieved while respecting nature's flow and rhythms.
Pairing Suggestions: We recommend serving this wine with shellfish, flavoured cheeses and desserts, such as strudel. Also a good match with spicy dishes and sweet and sour creations with an Asian touch.
Maturation: The grapes are picked by hand and placed in small containers to prevent excess pressure on the grapes. Gentle whole cluster pressing and clarification of the must by natural sedimentation. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. Aging on the lees for 8 months in stainless steel tanks without malolatic fermentation.