Lagrein is a native red grape of Alto Adige in Italy's far north, grown above all around the city of Bolzano. It makes deeply coloured reds with dark berries, chocolate and spice, and a fresh, fruity rosé called Kretzer, and it is the region's most distinctive red wine.
Lagrein has been grown in the Adige valley since at least the seventeenth century, when monks at the Benedictine monastery of Muri-Gries in Bolzano made it. DNA research shows it is closely related to Teroldego, the red grape of neighbouring Trentino, and it shares a family tree with Syrah and Marzemino.
Lagrein's heartland is Bolzano, and in particular the district of Gries, on the warm valley floor where the Talvera river meets the Adige. The alluvial, gravelly and sandy soils and the heat that builds up between the mountains help this late-ripening grape reach full maturity. Lagrein is also grown elsewhere in the Adige valley, from Terlano to the Bassa Atesina, and in northern Trentino.
Young Lagrein is juicy and dark-fruited; Riserva wines, aged in wood, are richer and more structured, with cocoa and spice, and age for ten years or more. Lagrein Kretzer, the rosé, is fresh and fruity, with cherry and strawberry.
Start with an Alto Adige Lagrein from a cooperative such as Cantina Bolzano, Tramin, Girlan or Terlano, which offer excellent quality for the price. Then try a Lagrein Riserva or a single-vineyard wine from Gries, and in summer a Kretzer rosé. Other names worth knowing include Alois Lageder, Manincor and Hofstätter.
Lagrein is closely related to Teroldego from Trentino and grows alongside Schiava, Alto Adige's light red. Read our best Lagrein wines, the Trentino-Alto Adige wine guide, or browse the grape varieties index.