Tasting Notes
Golden yellow in colour with very intense and broad aromas of jasmine, thyme, rosemary, exotic fruit and white pepper. On the palate, it is opulent and fragrant with freshness and pleasant sapidity enclosed in a full body with a long, spicy, mouth-watering finish.
Varieties
A blend of varieties indigenous to the region, including Kerner and Incrocio Manzoni, as well as international varieties such as Riesling and Chardonnay.
Region
The region of Trentino-Alto Adige is bordered by East and North Tyrol (Austria) to the north-east and north respectively, by Graubünden (Switzerland) to the north-west and by the Italian regions of Lombardy to the west and Veneto to the south and south-east. It covers 13,607 square kilometres and is extremely mountainous, covering a large part of the Dolomites and the southern Alps. Südtirol (where Cantina Kurtatsch is located) has an area of 7,398 square kilometres, all of it mountainous land and covered by vast forests. The climate here is Mediterranean (hot summer and cold winters) owing to the influence of the many mountain ranges, which stand at over 3,000 metres above sea level, and the wide valleys through which flows (from north to south) the main river, the Adige, and its numerous tributaries.
Vineyard
The name of this unforgettable white wine connects in part to the name of one of the vine growing villages in this mountain valley.
Winemaking
Stravino is made from a blend of Riesling, Incrocio Manzoni, Kerner, Chardonnay and Sauvignon. Each variety is harvested in its own time and manner. Some of the grapes are late-harvested, others are either barrel-aged or stainless steel-aged for 9 months. Every phase of the process of transforming grapes into wine at Pravis respects a natural idea of winemaking. The winery uses the least technology possible; once pressed, grapes flow with gravity into fermentation tanks, then into barrels, then finally into containers for pre-bottling.
Cellar Profile
Nestled at the foot of Castel Madruzzo, in the foothills of the Dolomites, sits Agricola Pravis. The winery started in the 1970s, as a partnership between three friends. Now, second-generation vintner sisters, Giulia and Erika Pedrini, have taken over the responsibility of running Pravis. Surrounded by stone outcroppings, their small, ecologically-farmed vineyards are scattered throughout the hills, each planted in calcareous stone, according to unique microclimates, with altitudes ranging from 300 to 600 masl. Working with both international as well as indigenous varieties (such as their noteworthy Nosiola), Pravis uses a minimal intervention philosophy that includes a strict gravity flow process. The cooling breeze that whips through the mountain passes from nearby Lake Garda, called the “Ora” by locals, minimizes the risk of mildew and keeps temperatures moderate during the hottest parts of summer, ensuring that these mineral-driven wines retain plenty of elegance. Interestingly, the winery works with the Freiburg Institute in the development of “zero impact” clone varieties that would leave no ecological footprint and would grow in otherwise inhospitable environments for agriculture.