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On a guided walk, discover the hidden sides of the city, admire Bolzano from above, marvel at vineyards and castle ruins, and taste fine wines at an old winery.
Profile
Structure
Drinking window
Latest scored vintage 2025: best 2027 to 2031.
vintage2 yrs6 yrs8 yrs
Critic scores
| Critic | Vintage | Score |
|---|---|---|
| James Suckling reviewed 2025 | 2025 | 91/100 |
Scores as published by each critic for the vintage shown.
In the glass
Aroma: ripe apple, ripe pear, cantaloupe
Palate: powerful, mineral-rich, juicy
Greenish-yellow Sylvaner from the Bressanone valley basin at 650-750 m on moraine soils with mica schist and quartzite: ripe apple, pear and cantaloupe on the nose, powerful and mineral-rich on the palate with a juicy finish.
What it pairs with
- Trout fillet Mountain trout's clean flesh and Sylvaner's apple-cantaloupe register share a freshwater axis.More wines for trout →
- Speck and rye flatbread The cured ham's smoke meets Sylvaner's mineral spine.More wines for ham →
- Asparagus salad Spring asparagus needs Sylvaner's high acidity; the cantaloupe note lifts the dish.More wines for vegetables and salads →
- Schluetzkrapfen Spinach-and-ricotta half-moon ravioli sing against Sylvaner's mineral lift.
With cheese
Graukäse
Our pick Slow Food describes a lean cheese with a bitter note that grows with ripeness, classically dressed with oil, wine vinegar and onion. Sylvaner's high acidity can stand next to the vinegar, and its fruit and mineral savour soften the bitterness.
Toblacher Stangenkäse
Our pick A Valle Isarco Sylvaner is medium-bodied, with high acidity and a mineral edge. Its freshness clears the palate between slices of the mild-sour, 45 percent fat bar cheese without covering its gentle flavour.
History
Sylvaner is the historic varietal of the Eisacktal and a long-standing cellar speciality at Abbazia di Novacella. The monastery, founded in 1142, has cultivated vines on the slopes of the Bressanone basin for nearly nine centuries; the modern classification-line Sylvaner is bottled at 13%.
- 1142Abbazia di Novacella Augustinian abbey founded
Facts
- Producer
- Abbazia di Novacella · visiting guide
- Grapes
- Sylvaner
- Classification
- DOC Alto Adige Valle Isarco
- Oak
- Stainless steel; 75% fermented in steel and 25% in 50hl acacia casks
- ABV
- 13.0%
- Price
- EUR 14-20 at retail
- Drinking window
- 2-6 from vintage
- First vintage
- 1980
Frequently asked about Alto Adige Valle Isarco Sylvaner
What does Abbazia di Novacella Sylvaner taste like?
Greenish-yellow to straw with ripe-apple, pear and cantaloupe aromatics. The palate is powerful, mineral-rich and juicy at 13% alcohol with a long finish.
When should I drink Abbazia di Novacella Sylvaner?
Drink between 2 and 6 years from vintage. The producer specifies 4-6 years of ageing potential; serve at 8-10 degrees C.
What food pairs with Abbazia di Novacella Sylvaner?
Mountain trout, speck-and-rye flatbread, asparagus salads and Schluetzkrapfen ravioli are the regional Eisacktal pairings.
Where is Abbazia di Novacella Sylvaner grown?
On moraine soils with mica schist, paragneiss and quartzite in the Bressanone valley basin at 650-750 m elevation, in vineyards belonging to the 1142-founded Augustinian abbey.
Tags
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