Introduction to Lagrein
Lagrein is Alto Adige's dark native red. This guide covers its red and rosé styles, its home zones, the best bottles and the foods to pair with it.
Lagrein is one of the most distinctive native grapes of Trentino-Alto Adige. Its wines are unlike anything else in Italy. They are almost black, with deep dark fruit, herbal notes and a typical bitter-chocolate finish. Lagrein is rich yet elegant, with enough acidity and tannin to age.
The grape has grown in the Alto Adige Südtirol DOC since at least the 17th century. Old records place it in the Gries area of Bolzano. DNA tests show that Lagrein is related to Teroldego and Syrah. This surprising link to a Rhône grape helps explain Lagrein's spicy, peppery side.
Alto Adige is Italian, but strongly shaped by Austrian and German traditions. That gives Lagrein its own identity. The wines come from small family estates, historic co-op wineries (Kellereigenossenschaften) and creative small producers. They all work in a dramatic mountain setting, with vineyards as high as 1,000 meters.
Lagrein is made in two main styles:
"Dunkel" is German for dark. Lagrein Dunkel is the full red wine. The juice stays a long time on the skins. The wine is deep ruby-purple to almost black. It smells of dark cherry, blackberry, plum and violet, with notes of herbs, tobacco and bitter chocolate. The tannins are firm but fine, and there is enough acidity to age well. Top Lagrein Dunkel improves a lot over 5–12 years.
Kretzer is the rosé version, made with little skin contact. It has a deep cherry-pink to salmon color, with fresh strawberry, dried rose and citrus. Lagrein Kretzer is one of Italy's most interesting rosés. It is fuller and firmer than most Italian rosati, with a clear Alpine character.
Alto Adige Südtirol DOC is the main home of Lagrein and covers all of South Tyrol's wine zone. Producers can add a local place name (Gries, Santa Maddalena, Terlano, Bolzano) to show where the wine comes from. The Gries area near Bolzano has always been the key place for Lagrein. It has sandy, gravelly river soils and a warm, sheltered climate.
The Gries district, on the edge of Bolzano, is Lagrein's ancestral home. Its flat gravel terraces along the Adige river give round Lagrein that ripens early. Many of Alto Adige's most historic Lagrein producers are based here.
Alto Adige Südtirol is Italy's northernmost wine region and its most culturally mixed. Most people speak German and the food is largely Austrian. Yet the wines follow Italian rules. The result is a hybrid wine culture. Native Alpine grapes like Lagrein, Vernatsch (Schiava) and Gewürztraminer grow next to international grapes brought by Austrians and Benedictine monks.
Vineyards range from the warm valley floor near Bolzano (250 m) to high mountain sites above Merano (1,000 m). No other Italian region of this size makes such a wide range of wine styles.
Lagrein has:
- Very dark, thick-skinned berries that give deeply colored wines
- Aromas of dark cherry, blackberry, violet, plum, dark chocolate, tobacco and black pepper
- High levels of polyphenols and anthocyanins (color compounds), which give the wines structure
- Medium-to-high acidity and firm tannins
- A typical bitter chocolate and herb finish
- Good aging potential: 5–15 years for top Dunkel wines
Lagrein's richness and structure suit the hearty mountain food of South Tyrol:
Lagrein stands apart among Italian reds. Its dark color and rich fruit look a bit like southern grapes such as Primitivo or Nero d'Avola. But the cool Alpine climate gives Lagrein more acidity and fresher fruit. Its bitter-chocolate finish is its most typical trait, and no other Italian red has it.
See more Trentino-Alto Adige wines, from Lagrein to the sparkling wines of Trento DOC and the region's Pinot Nero.
Production rules and official information from the consortia of the wines in this guide: