On summer evenings in June in Italy’s northernmost province of Alto Adige, residents sit in cafes drinking pitchers of wine and eating plates of bresaola (air-cured beef) while gazing for hours at the fuochi burning in the mountains. The fires are symbolic of warning signals that used to alert citizens of an impending invasion. Today, the fuochi blaze for the Festa di Sacro Cuore (Day of the Sacred Heart). It honors Christ’s protection from Napoleon’s advancing army on its march to attack Vienna in 1809. (An abrupt right turn at Trento, leading to a southern route, spared Alto Adige.)
At the time of the Napoleonic Wars, the Alto Adige was part of Austria. Strong cultural influences still remain to this day, even though Italian control will reach 100 years in 2019.
The mountaineers back then were probably drinking wine made from the local red varietal known as schiava (vernatsch in German). They believed schiava had nutritional value, often enjoying a daily glass at work with lunch and later at home with their speck (smoked bacon) or canerdoli (bread-and-flour dumplings in broth).
Schiava-based wines built up a strong regional reputation among Austrians and Germans who lived barely 10 miles north of Trentino where the Italian influence took hold. But the light-bodied, dry red wine with pinot noir-like characteristics got little attention in the outside world.
Of course, the world has changed and so, too, has the world of wine.
Schiava is no longer a secret to America, nor should it be.
Recently, I sampled three bottles of schiava. First, I researched the wines and traditions of the Trentino-Alto Adige region in Vino Italiano, a classic text written by Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch. Second, I enlisted the aid of the Wine Goddess, my wife Mary Lee, to cook several light Austrian dishes and to join me in the pergola. Third, I lit fuochi in two fire pits. While we didn’t have the Dolomite mountains on Belvidere Hill, we did have Andrea Bocelli’s voice on IPod to elevate us.
Finally, we opened the wines and prayed to the Sacred Heart to ward off any “invasion” of flying insects. It worked. The wines were fabulous.
• Alois Lageder Schiava 2014, $15 — The Lageder family has been producing quality wines for 150 years and Alois Lageder now directs a state-of-the-art winery in Magré. The Wine Goddess picked up on the floral scent in the glass, and thoroughly enjoyed the mild, dry, strawberry flavors. My first impression was that of a light-bodied, ruby-colored pinot noir. I chilled a second glass for 10 minutes in a cooler and found it ever more pleasing. Lageder suggests this will go well with pizza, pasta, white meats and barbecue.
• Cantina Bolzano ‘Huck am Bach’ St. Magdalener Classico 2013, $20 — Cantina Bolzano is one of the most respected cooperatives in the Alto Adige, surviving the turmoil of two World Wars and economic ebbs and flows. This ruby red wine is fuller in texture and taste, a blend of schiava and lagrein varieties that grow side by side in the Santa Maddalena vineyards. They are also fermented together. The combination leads to a fascinating ride on the palate: You get fresh fruit cherry and strawberry up front and then a smooth changeover to a dry, savory spice effect. I detected a rustic note; the winemaker suggests bitter almonds. The Wine Goddess said the St. Magdalener would be a good fit with a veal chop and meaty pasta dishes.
• Castel Sallegg Bischofsleiten Schiava 2014, $25 — Archduke Rainier of Austria bought the estate in 1851 and if he could look inside the castle walls today, he’d be amazed a the gleaming array of modern steel fermenting tanks. The bottle’s back label is written in German, but all you have to know is that it’s 100 percent “Schiava gentile Bischofsleiten.” It’s good. And it’s a bargain, especially if you like cool raspberry aromas and soft fruit flavors. I welcomed it. The Wine Goddess praised its elegant color, herbal scents, and warmth on the palate.
These wines are available in New Hamsphire State Liquor & Wine Outlets and in Massachusetts at Gordon’s Fine Wines in Waltham and The Vineyard in North Andover.
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