Life as a winegrower: the interview
With us today we have Kurt Rottensteiner, soul of Brunnenhof winery, located on the hills of Mazzon, where Gewurztraminer and Italian Pinot Noir were born. Kurt, a respected authority in the field of viticulture, is very proud of his land, South Tyrol, and he would speak about it for hours. His strong German accent immediately inspires sympathy.
W: So let’s start from the beginning: why did you choose to become a winegrower?
K: My family has always worked this land, my grandfather started here in 1950, then came my father and now I’m carrying on the tradition. It was a natural progression. As many family-style wineries we have been selling bulk wine and grapes around for years, then in 1999, we made the big jump: we bottled our first wines.
W: What is your wine philosophy?
K: It’s very simple, do what you do best, stick to your land and be crystal clear. We produce three kinds of wine: Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir and a blended Schiava, our typical vine. Nothing more, nothing too fancy. I want to personally take care of my vineyards and touch every bottle which comes out from my cellar.
W: Can you tell us why you planted Gewürz?
Kurt laughs, seems surprised. Excuse me, if I’m laughing, but you must know that Gewurz has always been there, was tamed two thousand years ago. He is part of our DNA, but besides that, there is a practical reason. Pinot Noir is fragile and needs an airy spot to keep its grape dry, so is usually planted at the top of the hills. Gewurztraminer on the contrary is a hard-nosed fighter, he is not afraid of anything. Its small, loose and hard-skinned grape can resist in harsh conditions too.
W: Would you like to speak a little about Gewurztraminer?
Kurt is warming up a bit, he cares a lot about this topic. Gewurztraminer must be dry, bone dry to be precise. We have a great terroir and I think it is our duty to defend its identity by producing sincere wines, as they should be, not to flatter the public. I can’t bear off-dry Gewurztraminer and I’m talking about many Gewurz with 8-10 grams of sugar. It must be true and sharp as a blade in order to have a strong and complex bouquet, but above all, it must be full-bodied, with great rounded acidity, persistent, aromatic, with a neat sapidity that explodes in the mouth leaving you speechless. Here’s how I see Gewurztraminer, assuming we are speaking about a vineyard that has a maximum yield of 50/60 quintals per hectare.
W: We got to the point: acidity. Most of your colleagues use steel fermentation to keep the acidity intact, instead, you are going upstream using barrels, why?
K: I not only use casks, but I always encourage malolactic fermentation. Let me speak about the importance of the soil. Here, in Mazzon, near Tramin, our soil is acid and has a terrific minerality, which runs likewise through the wine. And if you add in the mix the incredible thermal excursion we have here, you can understand why I can afford the luxury of barrel fermentation without losing freshness. For me the oak is great: it gives creaminess to the wine, cuts off the edges and emphasizes the quince notes that I love in a pounding Gewurztraminer.
W: I suppose you use big casks.
K: You are right: big, old, oak barrels.
W: Can you tell us how you make your wine?
K: I start from perfectly ripe grapes, this a sine qua non if you want a well-balanced and tasty wine. We usually harvest on the 10th of October, but this year we have anticipated the harvest because of the bad weather. Let me stress that, because 80% of the zest is in the skins, so if the grapes are not ripe enough or you crush them too roughly or you let them macerate for too long, the wine will be unpleasantly tannic. Gewurztraminer is not an easy wife to deal with, but a little bit of love works wonders. I use a soft crushing, then, after a couple of hours of maceration, I put one-third in the barrels and the rest in steel tanks to let the fermentation start. Only natural yeasts and batonnage until Spring and then directly in the bottles.
W: It’s no secret you are a gourmand, what are your favorite pairing with Gewurztraminer?
K: Foie gras. It’s not very original but it’s delicious, especially if the wine is at least three or four years old and is developing buttery notes of ripe fruits to match the mellowness of Foie Gras. But I love Gewurztraminer also for easy dishes such as Pasta alla Genovese or white meat with rosemary and speck. And don’t forget about all crustaceans… by the way, I drink Gewurz every day!
W: Yeah, I would drink it too, if I was your neighbor. Thank you for your time, Kurt.
K: It’s my pleasure!