Muri Gries: 1,000 Years of Wine and Monastic Tradition

The Benedictine monastery celebrates its great anniversary in 2027 and looks back on centuries of winemaking tradition.

“Just like our visitors, I am still fascinated and impressed by the long history and tradition associated with this monastery winery,” says cellar master Manfred Bernard, who has been managing the operation since spring 2023. For centuries, the monastery and Muri Gries winery have shaped the Bolzano Bozen district that was once an independent municipality. It was only in 1925 that Gries was dissolved by the Fascist regime and incorporated into the municipality of Bolzano.

The monastery and winery have survived countless political upheavals, from 1027, when the Benedictines were expelled from their monastery in Muri, in the Swiss canton of Aargau, and moved into the former Augustinian Canons’ monastery in Gries, which had by then been dissolved, through two world wars and the subsequent period of economic growth.

Next year, Muri-Gries Monastery will celebrate an extraordinary anniversary: for 1,000 years, the Benedictine monastery has shaped life in Gries and today ranks among Bolzano’s most important sites of cultural and historical significance. The monastery winery also has reason to celebrate. Although it has been officially registered in the Austrian commercial register since 1900, its winemaking tradition dates back much further.

“Lagrein was already mentioned as a grape variety when the Benedictines arrived, although there were very few single-variety wines at the time,” explains the cellar master. Field blends, made from several grape varieties, were more popular.

The Klosteranger, where the premium Lagrein Riserva Weingarten Klosteranger is produced today, also has a long history. This deep-dark, powerful single-vineyard red wine, matured in barriques, remains at the heart of the winery’s production.

“White wine is generally becoming increasingly popular, but our tradition and identity remain closely linked to our red wines, which account for 70 to 75 per cent of our production,” says Bernard. It is no coincidence that Muri-Gries winery is considered a reference producer for Lagrein and has consistently and successfully developed the brand in recent years.

The upcoming millennium anniversary provides an opportunity to look back on this long history while also turning our attention towards the future. This year, visitors are especially invited to experience the atmosphere of a place where history, architecture and wine have been intertwined for centuries.

“As part of the monastery anniversary on 5 June, we are planning a programme featuring tastings, two millennium wines and a book presentation,” announces marketing director Robert Oberkofler. It will be a special opportunity to visit the historic monastery and its winery.

Information: www.muri-gries.com .

Caption: Cellar master Manfred Bernard (left) and marketing director Robert Oberkofler in the Klosteranger vineyard, which was replanted between 2001 and 2004. Muri-Gries Monastery can be seen in the background. Photo: Ursula Pirchstaller. Text: Ursula Pirchstaller.