Kerner is a white grape grown in Italy mainly in Alto Adige, above all in the Valle Isarco (Eisacktal) north of Bolzano. It makes dry, aromatic whites with peach, green apple, citrus and herbal notes, and fresh, lively acidity.
Kerner is a German crossing of Schiava (Trollinger) and Riesling, created in 1929 at the Weinsberg research institute in Württemberg. It is named after Justinus Kerner, a 19th-century local poet and doctor. In Germany it was planted for its reliable ripening and frost resistance. In Alto Adige it arrived later, in the second half of the 20th century, and found a home in the high, cool vineyards of the Valle Isarco, where it now makes some of its best wines anywhere.
The grape is hardy and ripens well in cold sites, which suits the mountain climate of these valleys.
Most Kerner is made in steel and is best within three to four years. Wines from older vines or late-picked grapes are fuller and can age longer. Some producers also make a sweet late-harvest or passito version.
Start with a Valle Isarco Kerner from one of the area's main producers. Names worth knowing include Abbazia di Novacella, Cantina Valle Isarco, Pacherhof, Manfred Nössing, Köfererhof and Villscheider, with Franz Haas, Kellerei Kaltern and Nals Margreid elsewhere in Alto Adige, and Pojer e Sandri in Trentino.
Kerner shares the Valle Isarco with Müller-Thurgau, Riesling and Gewürztraminer, and one of its parents is Schiava. Read our best Trentino-Alto Adige wines, the Italian white wine guide, or browse the grape varieties index.