Vinaltum 2026, Fiè allo Sciliar showcases Sauvignon, Pinot Bianco, and Pinot Nero

At Vinaltum 2026, the viticulture of Fiè allo Sciliar chose the path of collective storytelling. Six producers, gathered in a shared stand at the second edition of the event created in Alto Adige by Danilo Dambra and Luciano Rappo, presented a concrete snapshot of a South Tyrolean territory still little associated with wine, but with a long viticultural history and a strong high-altitude identity.

The tasting, taking place until tomorrow at Castel Mareccio in the heart of Bolzano, confirmed a precise style: tense, sapid, often vertical whites, with Sauvignon and Pinot Bianco in the foreground.

Chardonnay capable of volume and depth. Pinot Nero on the rise, with refined, fresh, and territorial interpretations. There is no shortage of more structured reds, such as Cabernet Sauvignon-Cabernet Franc Bordeaux blends. However, the main vocation remains that of mountain white wines, supported by acidity, salinity, and significant altitudes.

Explaining the project is Petra Planer from Tenuta Prackfol, ambassador for Fiè at Vinaltum 2026. “We are six producers from the Municipality of Fiè allo Sciliar, a territory made up of many small hamlets, such as Aica di Fiè and other locations, which allows us to express a certain variety within the same area.”

The location is decisive for understanding the complexity of the group. “Fiè,” explains the winemaker, “is divided into two main areas from a wine-growing perspective. The most important part is the entrance to the Isarco Valley, where the producers Wassererhof, Bessererhof, Gump Hof, and Grottnerhof are located. The other two producers, Prackfol and Fronthof, are instead on the other side, in the Tires Valley, between Alpe di Siusi and Catinaccio, about 10 kilometers from Bolzano. They are both part of the Municipality of Fiè, but they are two different valleys.”

The overall perimeter remains limited, but not marginal. “Prackfol today has about 8 hectares,” Petra Planer further explains, “while overall we are talking about almost 40 hectares. There are several winegrowers in the area who produce grapes, but six of these vinify directly in their own cellars. This is our group.”

The ampelographic profile of Fiè speaks primarily of white grapes. “The most important variety in the area is certainly Sauvignon Blanc, followed by Pinot Bianco, which is another very significant variety for us. Also, Pinot Nero,” the South Tyrolean winemaker emphasizes, “is gaining ground. We also produce several other varieties, such as Kerner and Chardonnay. Among the reds, in addition to Pinot Nero, there is also Schiava, present mainly in our areas.”

The vocation emerges clearly in the glass as well: “Our area is in any case more suited to white wines. As producers, we are entities of different sizes: some are a bit larger, others smaller.” The tasting at Vinaltum 2026 confirms this orientation.

The best tastings among the white wines show a convincing balance between volume and verticality. They stand out for their sapidity, freshness, and well-integrated alcohol, signaling good gustatory progression from entry to finish. Other samples focus on aging on fine lees, large wood, tonneaux, or just steel. With different results, but a recognizable common thread: the acid-sapid drive remains the most constant trait of the tasting.

Among the most convincing wines from the 6 Fiè producers present at the Vinaltum collective, Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay emerge. Whites that are both immediate and suitable for aging, capable of combining yellow fruit, citrus, precision, and mineral energy. In several cases, wood is present but well-integrated, used more to accompany the substance than to cover it. The best examples show broad but not heavy palates, with a sapid mid-palate and salty finishes.

• VINALTUM 2026 grows: new institutional partner and expanding program
• Vinaltum, sommelier without a uniform. The start of a revolution?
• VINALTUM 2026 at Castel Mareccio: the wine festival chooses Bolzano
• Vinaltum 2025 Schloss Freudenstein: renewed format with Calice Maestro
• Champagne, “Better Together”: Social responsibility impact report

Wines that indicate a clear direction: Fiè can also play an interesting game with structured whites. Among the issues that emerged: the use and cleanliness of wood are not always optimal, along with some alcoholic drifts that unbalance the overall harmony of the wines, especially among the whites.

Sauvignon, however, remains one of the identity points. In the best samples, it shows the classic green component, citrus, as well as tension and gastronomic drinkability. When the fruit supports the acidic texture, the result is very convincing. Where the sapid drive does not find enough flesh, the wine appears shorter or less focused.

Pinot Bianco is confirmed as an important variety for the territory, even if the tasting yields different interpretations. Some samples focus on cleanliness, verticality, and sapidity; others seek more substance and creaminess, with results that are not always consistent.

Kerner, grown even between 800 and 900 meters, shows the most alpine and aromatic side of the area. It is a variety that confirms the potential of high altitude but requires precision and balance in winemaking.

Chardonnay, on the other hand, offers some of the most solid performances. The best samples combine phenolic ripeness, salinity, and depth without losing tension. The feeling is that the combination of altitude, lean soils, and measured use of wood can produce long-lived, gastronomic, and recognizable wines.

Pinot Nero is the red that seems to dialogue most with the territory’s vocation. In the best samples, crunchy fruit, wild strawberry, tension, and sapidity emerge. This applies both to the more “immediate” wines and to the Noirs intended for long aging. In the first case, the fine texture and precise finish are convincing. In the second, the ambition and depth, with fruit that opens slowly and a still-young palate marked by structure and evolutionary potential.

Not all interpretations, in fact, are yet fully realized. Some wines show slightly bitter finishes or a hardness that still needs to settle. But the interesting fact is the direction: Fiè’s Pinot Nero does not seek power or concentration, but rather freshness, a mountain profile, and sapidity.

Alongside Pinot Nero, other reds also confirm the area’s ability to produce agile and territorial wines. Among these is Zweigelt, grown at about 700 meters, with a light color and vaguely smoky notes: an interpretation almost like a light Cabernet Franc from the Loire. More structured is the only Bordeaux blend present in the tasting, from vineyards in the area adjacent to Bolzano, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc aged in barriques for almost two years: here the fruit is full, the sapidity long, and the substance more significant.

The theme of wine provenance remains central in a region like Alto Adige, which recently approved its UGAs. For Petra Planer, extreme fragmentation risks becoming difficult to communicate.

“The name Fiè does not appear on our wine labels,” Petra Planer specifies, “but we are fine with that, because it is important to avoid fragmenting the communication of provenance too much. Alto Adige is already a brand. And, in general, Fiè itself has many internal differences: every hollow, every corner has a different soil. For a customer coming from outside, it can become difficult to understand all these varieties and all these specificities. In Alto Adige, there are more than 20 varieties, so finding your way around is not easy.”

A pragmatic position that does not deny the richness of the micro-zones but focuses on the readability of the message. Fiè allo Sciliar, in this sense, first needs to be recognized as a wine-growing area. Only then can the differences between slopes, altitudes, and individual plots emerge more clearly. The path taken is certainly the right one.