A Diversity That Inspires
The Bolzano Bozen Mostra dei Vini-Weinkost is taking place for the 99th time this year and boasts a long and distinguished history.

Where else do you can line up ten different St. Magdalener wines side by side and compare them directly? The Bolzano Bozen Mostra dei Vini-Weinkost is one of the few tasting events in South Tyrol that makes exactly this possible, all within an elegant and atmospheric setting of Maretsch Castle.

The very first “Bolzano Spring Wine Market” was held in 1896, already with the aim of giving visitors “a picture of the character of good Tyrolean wine.” Apart from a few interruptions during Fascism and the Second World War, the event has been held annually ever since and celebrates its 99th edition this year.

The story began at the Torgglhaus in Bolzano’s old town, which soon proved too small for the growing crowds. After the turmoil of the war, the event moved in 1947 to the Hotel Post in Gries and later to Hotel Laurin. From the very beginning, the Mayr family has been involved, farming the hereditary Unterganzner estate in Kardaun on the outskirts of Bolzano with great passion since 1629.

“My father already took an active part in the Mostra dei Vini-Weinkost and brought several awards home,” recalls Josephus Mayr, who now runs the estate in the eleventh generation together with his wife Barbara and their children Katharina and Josef. For him, two aspects define the Wine Tasting: the calm, elegant atmosphere that allows for focused tasting at the table, and the extraordinary diversity that is rarely found elsewhere.

“The Mostra dei Vini-Weinkost is open to all South Tyrolean producers. With around 200 labels, it still offers an impressive range,” Mayr explains. While the event used to be even larger and supported by wide segments of South Tyrol’s economy, the wine sector has since rediscovered its value.

That the tradition did not come to an end is largely thanks to Josephus Mayr. When parts of the wine industry considered the Mostra dei Vini-Weinkost outdated, he persistently searched for a new organizer. He eventually found a willing partner in the Bolzano Tourism Board. And so, this year as well, from March 26 to 29, the Bolzano Mostra dei Vini-Weinkost will once again open the gates of Maretsch Castle, welcoming local connoisseurs, tourists, and wine lovers alike.

Caption: Josephus Mayr with a chalice awarded to the Unterganzner hereditary estate in 1907 in recognition of an outstanding wine presented at the Bolzano Mostra dei Vini-Weinkost. Photo: Ursula Pirchstaller