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. -
Speck and rye flatbread
The cured ham's smoke meets Sylvaner's mineral spine. -
Asparagus salad
Spring asparagus needs Sylvaner's high acidity; the cantaloupe note lifts the dish. -
Schluetzkrapfen
Spinach-and-ricotta half-moon ravioli sing against Sylvaner's mineral lift.
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%.
- 1142 — Abbazia di Novacella Augustinian abbey founded
Facts
- Producer
- Abbazia di Novacella
- 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
Scores
- James Suckling 91 (2025 vintage, reviewed 2025)
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.