Wine of the Week 8/17/21

Kellerei Kaltern “K” Rosé Vignete delle Dolomiti 2020

Regularly $12.99/On Sale for $9.96

We’ve featured wines from the excellent Alto Adige co-op Kaltern before as they are always great wines at a great price. This refreshing, juicy blend of Pinot Noir, Lagrein, Cabernet, and Merlot, from vines grown on the banks of Lake Kaltern, is no exception. Like many landmarks and towns in the formerly-Austrian Alto Adige, Lake Kaltern has both a German and an Italian name: the Kalterer See and the Lago di Caldaro. The wines made here reflect the best in this culture clash: technically perfect wine-making designed for many different kinds of food; cooling winds from the Alps meeting sun-soaked Mediterranean-facing slopes; and a winemaking tradition that is both ancient, and forward thinking in its sustainability.

Approximately 2500 years ago, a confederation of Alpine tribes known as the Rhaetians practiced systematic viticulture along the Alto Adige Wine Road, cultivating, training and pruning vines. When the Romans conquered the area in 15 BC, they were amazed to see the flourishing vineyards. While the territory has had many names and many rulers over the millennia, is has never stopped producing wine.

Kellerei Kaltern arose from a series of winery co-operatives that established themselves around the lake starting in 1900. Since that time, they have been among the preeminent wineries in the Alto Adige, a region that is among Italy’s smallest, but which also boasts the highest ratio of certified DOCs in the country.

The Kaltern Rosé is dry but very juicy, an easy match for a host of foods, and a remedy to both the heat and the rain of August. Give it a try!