Tourist board
| Bacchus Urbanus |
 
It may come as a surprise to learn that the municipal area of Bolzano Bozen forms South Tyrol’s second-largest wine-growing district with some 510 hectares (1,260 acres) of vineyard within the town’s limits (corresponding to one tenth of the province’s total vineyard area). Two wines are truly native to Bolzano Bozen and both have undergone a giant leap in quality over recent years: St. Magdalener (named after the small hamlet of St. Magdalena) and Lagrein, the name of South Tyrol’s top indigenous red grape variety. The most widely-planted grape vine is Vernatsch (Schiava in Italian) which is the main ingredient of St. Magdalener and Bolzano’s other red DOC wine, “Bozner Leiten” or “Hillsides of Bolzano”. Bolzano Bozen’s great red grape, Lagrein has been growing in the Bolzano Bozen valley basin since time immemorial and is also popular as a rosé wine (fermented without skins) called “Lagrein Kretzer”. The dark red wine may often bear the name “Lagrein Dunkel”, i.e. “dark”, to distinguish it from the rosé or “Kretzer”.
“Bacchus Urbanus” is an activity organised by the Bolzano Bozen Tourist Board in co-operation with local wineries to promote the town’s wine culture both among local people and tourists. It comprises a choice of vineyard walks in the Lagrein and St. Magdalener growing areas, each followed by a visit to one of the town’s wineries and a wine tasting.
Guided tours are available in Italian and German. Appointments in May 2012: 05.5.2012 – Winery Thomas Mayr & Söhne 12.5.2012 – Wine estate Kandlerhof 19.5.2012 – Wine estate Messnerhof 26.5.2012 – Winery Bolzano Bozen Appointments in October 2012: 06.10.2012 – Wine estate Kandlerhof 13.10.2012 – Wine estate Messnerhof 20.10.2012 – Winery Bolzano Bozen 27.10.2012 – Winery Thomas Mayr & Söhne More information: Tourism Board, Piazza Walther Platz 8, tel.+39 0471 307000, info@bolzano-bozen.it |