About the Producer
Based in north-eastern Alto Adige and founded 40 years ago, Terlano is a cooperative boasting 143 growers, who collectively have 190 hectares of vines! Patience is key at Terlano. Two green harvests are carried out to control yields and fruit is hand harvested and selected. Whole cluster pressing is employed gently, followed by fermentation and ageing which both occur in large oak barrels. So committed to producing age-worthy wines, each year the Cantina hold back a few thousand bottles of Vorberg for at least four years. This practice has its roots in the post-war years when Sebastian Stocker, the ‘Kellermeister’ (cellar master), would hide bottles behind walls, and you can still see some of his hiding places when you visit the winery. One of the estate’s specialities is Pinot Bianco (or Pinot Blanc in French). There are very few complex Pinot Blanc in the world, and we are yet to find anything that comes close to the Vorberg Riserva in terms of quality. Pinot Bianco is a genetic mutation of Pinot Noir commonly associated with Alsace in north-eastern France, and is also grown in Germany, where it is also known as Weissburgunder. The strain of vine grown in Alsace is comparatively less exciting; in our experience, the best serious Pinot Bianco is produced in Alto Adige, and Terlano’s Vorberg comfortably sits atop the list.