Did you know that despite its German name, 2018 Sylvaner Köfererhof is an Italian wine? It comes from the Alto Adige region in Northern Italy.
Thanks to its complicated history, the region was equally influenced by Italian and German cultures, and this is reflected in the wine. Often, wine labels are written in Italian and German languages side-by-side, just like with this wine. Although in this case, it’s more than a label because Sylvaner is a German grape varietal.
We were very excited when we came across the Sylvaner from one of Italy’s finest white wine producers.
Köfererhof Winery Story
Weingut Köfererhof is one of Italy’s smallest and best white wine producers in Alto Adige’s beautiful Valle Isarco subregion.
The Valle Isarco is known for high-quality white wine production and is the only place in Italy where you will find world-class wines made from Kerner and Sylvaner. These varieties aren’t grown much in the rest of Alto Adige, never mind Italy.
Köfererhof estate was founded in 1940 and is run today by Günther Kerschbaumer, who took over the reins from his father, Peter in 2010 after working alongside him for a decade.
Until 1994, Köfererhof, like many others in the Valle Isarco, sold grapes to the Abbazia di Novacella, the area’s largest producer. The family bottled its first vintage in 1995 vintage and has ever since been entirely devoted to wine production.
Having tasted Köfererhof’s other wines and some fantastic Sylvaners from the Rheinhessen region of Germany, such as Keller,and Alsace of France, we were curious how it stands up.
2018 Sylvaner Köfererhof
In the Glass
2018 Sylvaner Köfererhof was more aromatic than we typically expect from Sylvaner-based wines. The mineral and beeswax aromas were followed by green apricot, pear, and fresh butter.
It also was a pleasant surprise on the palate, with an almost oily texture more reminiscent of full-bodied Chardonnay than typically light Sylvaners.
It had lemon, green plum, savory, and almost salty flavors complemented by light almond-bitter notes.
Aftertaste
Köfererhof’s aromatic profile, structure, and substantial body place this wine in the top-tiered Sylvaneres. In our opinion, it can definitely stand its ground compared to some of the best Alsace and German Sylvaners.
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