TRENTINO ADIGE WINE
Tasting and Touring the Wine Roads of Alto-Adige
In his grand opera Wolfgang
Mozart’s character Don Giovanni sings
while raising his wine glass “Versa il vino, eccellente Marzemino!” (Pour
me wine, excellent Marzemino). The wine he was praising was the Marzemino
of the Trentino region of Northern Italy where the terraced grape vines
cling to the hill slopes below the shear cliffs of the Dolomites south
of the Alps. Marzemino was historically one of the favorite red wines
of the Hapsburg royal court and it was in Rovereto, in the heart of the
Adige valley that Mozart gave his first concert in Italy.
For
wines touring and tastings, other parts of Italy are perhaps far more
well known, but the north
of Italy where rivers from the Alps flow
down to the plains of the Po offer a variety of vineyards, nestled among
magnificent mountain cliffs. The north end of the Upper Adige Valley
near Bolzano also known as South Tyrol (Sud Tirol) was at one time
part
of the Hapsburg
dynasty Austrian empire and the German influence and flavors are prominent.
In the south end of the Adige Valley centered around Trento, the Vallagarina,
Italian is the dominant culture. The Via Maestra, the ancient road to
the Alps, now follows the primary autoroute across the Alps from Italy
to Austria and Germany and the rail tracks, from where the vines rush
past the
windows.
The region is laced by wine routes, following the narrow valleys of the
rivers flowing through the white stone cliffs, with vineyards in the
shadows of ancient towns and medieval castles. The area is perfect for
exploring Italy from the north or from Venice or Verona.
Beyond the classic
Marzemino, the region produces a number of fine wines, with a nod to
the exotic. Nosiola is the oldest variety of grape grown in the area
from which the Santa Trentino wine is produced, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio,
and the heady rich sweetness of Grappa. The area is also known for
it cheeses, Chestnuts (Marone), plums and apples. The rural wine tourism of bed and breakfasts and wine tasting is fairly
new to the Trentino Vallagarina, at least compared to the much more famous
regions like Tuscany. The local tourism bureau has established seven
wine roads known as the Roads of Wine and Flavors to ensure the qualities
of the regions products.
The Road of Apples and Flavors passes through the Non and Sole Valleys, where apple fields compliment the food highlighted by cheeses such as Trentingrana and Casolet. The Wine Road of the Vallagarina is a 200 kilometer route of art and history where the Marzemino of Mozart fame is the best known wine product. The road through in the Avisiane Hills and Cembra Valley explores a landscape of wild beauty, tamed by terraced farms, where the dry salami (lucanica secca) teases the palate. The Road of Cheese of the Dolomites passes through beautiful countryside where cheeses like the Nostrano di Fassa and the Spretz Tsaorì called “Stinky Moena” (Puzzone di Moena) and the rich Nostrano di Fassa are produced.
The
road which follows the Sarca Valley from Trento to Lake Garda through
the Brenta Dolomites is the
largest
of the routes and passes some great
castles and churches of the region, also known for hiking in the warm
months and winter sports high in the Dolomites. The route offers some
easy and elegant spots to enjoy the flavors of the country. The main
road passes the romantic Castle Toblino in the Valle de Laghi with a
gourmet restaurant in a Renaissance setting on the edge of a misty
mountain
lake (see Castle
Toblino). The Hosteria Toblino along the road to Lake Garda
provides a tasting room, restaurant and selling point for the areas wines,
with over 300 wine
varieties represented. Stop
in the Sarca Valley Village of Arco for a visit to the castle which stands
perched high on the cliffs (see Castle
d’Arco) and visit the old churches of this lovely
little town. In Riva Del Garda a new restaurant and wine bar has opened
in the historic
old town rail station, named cleverly Binario (rails). Riva Del Garda
is at the northern end italy’s largest lake (see Riva
Del Garda).
You can head over to Rovereto where Mozart first discovered the wines
of Vallagarina, for more great castles (see Castles
of Trentino) and
vineyards.
Food Festivals of Trentino Alto
Adige are held three times a year. In Trento the La Casolara (Cheese
Sunday) is held on the first
Sunday of Lent in February. Meat was not allowed during lent so the
refrain, let them eat cheese comes to mine. The festival offers guided
cheese
tasting along the the best wines from the Trentino area. In September
in Trento is the Strudel, Muscat and Vin Santo Wine Festival where
the sweet pasty and sweet wines can be sampled in the cafes, bars and
shops
throughout town. In April at the Castle Toblino the Nosiola Fair celebrates
the celebrated wine grape which must ferment for 5 to 6 years to become
the Santo Trentino.
This mountainous region of Italy is best explored by car. If traveling by rail over the Alps from Germany or Austria into Italy, make a stop in Bolzano or Trento, rent a car to explore for a few days then return the car and get back on the train to head for Rome or wherever else you might be going. For organized wine travel tours of the Trentino wine region from Venice or Verona Italian Ways, a tour company based in Riva Del Garda provides wine and gastronomic tours as well as sports and other themes. © Bargain Travel Europe
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HOTELS OF PIEDMONT
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