DOC Alto Adige Val VenostaRiesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco, Gewuerztraminer, Pinot Noir12 haFounded 1995Pratzner family (Franz and Bernadette Pratzner)Vinschgau
Founded in 1995 in Naturno on the threshold of Val Venosta when Franz and Bernadette Pratzner gave up apple cultivation for wine. 12 hectares between 550 and 900 metres are planted to Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Bianco, Gewuerztraminer and Pinot Noir; the Riesling is widely cited as the best south of Germany.
Tasting: Tastings by appointment at the Naturno estate; the ageing cellars are dug into the rock.
Signature wines: riesling, riesling-alte-reben, riesling-anaduron, sauvignon-blanc, pinot-noir
Tip: Anaduron and Alte Reben Riesling are the limited Riesling library bottlings; buy what is available at the cellar door.
DOC Alto Adige Val VenostaRiesling, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Noir, Mueller-Thurgau6 haFounded 1992Aurich family + Reinhold Messner (castle owner)Vinschgau
Beneath Castel Juval (owned by mountaineer Reinhold Messner), Martin Aurich farms 6 hectares between 600 and 900 metres on Val Venosta granite-gneiss soils. Riesling and Pinot Bianco are the cellar's specialty, with the high-altitude Windbichel Pinot Nero adding range.
Tasting: Tastings by appointment at the estate beneath Castel Juval; high-altitude Val Venosta classics.
Signature wines: riesling-castel-juval, windbichel-pinot-nero, pinot-bianco, muller-thurgau
Tip: Combine the cellar visit with the Reinhold Messner mountaineering museum at Castel Juval, accessible by guided tour in season.