In the glass

Medium-bodiedHigh acidityDryLong finish

Aroma: salty mineral, fruity spice, stone fruit

Palate: complex, structured, long

Kuenhof's Sylvaner from three vineyard locations at 550-750 m in the Valle Isarco: complex and salty with fruity spice, particularly strong taste and a long finish from the mica-slate base.

What it pairs with

  • Smoked trout
    The wine's salty mineral signature meets cold-smoked Alpine trout directly.
  • Schluetzkrapfen
    Spinach-ricotta half-moon ravioli sing against Sylvaner's mineral lift.
  • Pan-fried sweetbreads
    Delicate offal needs Sylvaner's high acidity and structured spice.
  • Aged Bergkase
    Crystalline mountain cheese mirrors the wine's salty mineral spine.

History

Kuenhof is a small grower estate in the Valle Isarco run by Peter Pliger, and Sylvaner is its anchor variety. The Kaiton bottling has been produced since the late 1980s.

  1. 1990 — Kuenhof emerges as a leading grower-estate in the Valle Isarco

Facts

Producer
Kuenhof
Grapes
Sylvaner
Classification
DOC Alto Adige Valle Isarco
Oak
Stainless steel and large wood
ABV
13.5%
Price
EUR 24-32 at retail
Drinking window
3-10 from vintage
First vintage
1990

Frequently asked about Kuenhof Sylvaner

What does Kuenhof Sylvaner taste like?

Complex and salty with fruity spice, a particularly strong taste and a long finish per the producer. The mineral signature comes from quartz-phyllite and mica-slate soils at 550-750 m.

When should I drink Kuenhof Sylvaner?

Drink between 3 and 10 years from vintage. The producer specifies high ageing potential; Kuenhof's Sylvaner is one of the few that genuinely rewards extended cellaring.

Where is Kuenhof Sylvaner grown?

Across three vineyard locations between 550 and 750 m elevation in the Valle Isarco, on roughly 2 hectares of mica-slate and quartz-phyllite soils.

Who runs Kuenhof?

Peter Pliger has run Kuenhof since the late 1980s, building it into a small grower-estate for Valle Isarco whites.

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