Sylvaner

What Is Sylvaner?

Sylvaner is a white grape grown in Italy almost only in Alto Adige, above all in the Valle Isarco (Eisacktal) north of Bolzano. It makes dry, crisp, light to medium-bodied whites with green apple, pear, herbs and a mineral finish.

Sylvaner comes from Central Europe. DNA analysis has shown that it is a cross of Traminer and Österreichisch Weiss, an old Austrian white grape. It is best known in Germany, especially in Franken and Rheinhessen, and in Alsace, where it is spelled Silvaner or Sylvaner. In Alto Adige it has been grown for a long time in the high, cool vineyards of the Valle Isarco, where it is one of the main local whites.

Where Sylvaner Grows

  • Valle Isarco (Eisacktal): the northern valley around Bressanone (Brixen), Novacella and Chiusa. The vineyards are steep, often terraced and high, with a cool climate and stony soils. This is the heart of Italian Sylvaner.
  • Elsewhere in Alto Adige: smaller plantings, including around Bolzano.
  • Trentino: a few vineyards, often labelled as IGT.

Sylvaner and Italian Denominations

Flavor Profile and Tasting Notes

  • Fruit: green apple, pear, lemon and white peach.
  • Other notes: fresh herbs, hay, white flowers and a stony, mineral note.
  • Structure: light to medium body, fresh acidity, dry and clean finish.

Most Sylvaner is fresh and best within three or four years. Wines from the best sites, from old vines or aged longer on the lees are fuller and can age well for several years, gaining notes of honey and dried herbs.

Food Pairing

  • Asparagus: white asparagus is a classic spring match in Alto Adige and Germany.
  • Tyrolean dishes: speck, canederli (bread dumplings) and barley soup.
  • Fish: trout, char and other freshwater fish.
  • Salads and vegetables: green salads, vegetable quiches and herb dishes.
  • Cheese: young mountain cheeses.

How to Choose and Where to Start

Start with an Alto Adige Valle Isarco Sylvaner. Producers worth knowing include Abbazia di Novacella, Cantina Valle Isarco, Pacherhof, Kofererhof, Kuenhof and Manfred Nössing. The cooperative wines are a good, often less expensive way in. The single-estate wines are more concentrated.

In the Valle Isarco Sylvaner grows next to Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Kerner. Read our best Trentino-Alto Adige wines, the Italian white wine guide, or browse the grape varieties index.