Alois Lageder Porer Pinot Grigio 2018
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100% Pinot Grigio from the Porer vineyard and neighboring vineyards, near Magrè in the Alto Adige. This wine is all about the joy of experimenting and bringing different components together. One part of the grapes was pressed immediately after their arrival at the estate, another part was kept on the skins for 15 hours and the third part was in contact with stems and skins for about one year. We combine different components in order to create a fresh, lively and precise Pinot Grigio also in future.
Brilliant straw-yellow color with a green shimmer. Very aromatic, opulent, uplifted varietal aroma paired with pronounced mineral notes and elegant oak spice. Clean, grapey, full-bodied flavor, quite soft and creamy, refined and with a fresh finish. Remarkably long and aromatic on the palate.
Pairs well with starters, pates, and terrines, cold meat, all kinds of fish and seafood, white meat and poultry.
Certified Biodynamic
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A soft, fruity white with creamy texture and lovely cooked-apple, light honey and stone character. Some hay, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied and ripe and fresh at the same time. From biodynamically grown grapes.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Alois Lageder 2018 Alto Adige Pinot Grigio Porer represents a blend of separate vinifications. Some of the wine saw a classic fermentation with spontaneous yeasts, and a second part saw a good 15 hours of skin contact. That skin maceration has created a pretty golden color with very faint copper highlights. Fruit is drawn from organic and biodynamic vineyards, which is particularly impressive when you consider this is a 71,000-bottle production. Meyer lemon and bergamot appear on the bouquet. Those citrus tones are followed by mature peach and poached apple. This is a medium-weight Pinot Grigio to pair with stuffed eggplant.
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of hazelnut, beeswax and honey follow on the medium-bodied palate along with apple, citrus and a hint of mineral. Crisp acidity keeps if fresh and lively. Dalla Terra Winery Direct.
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Wine & Spirits
Sourcing fruit from Demeter-certified vines aged 14 to 31 years old, the Lageder family vinifies the grapes for this wine in three different ways: One part is pressed immediately after harvest, a second part undergoes 15 hours of skin contact and the third component stays in contact with the skins and stems for one year. In 2018, those components came together in a copper-tinted wine that is round and glossy, with notes of toast and caramel that give way with air to flavors of white peach and tangerine. Its savory tones and leesy bitterness call for dishes like smoked salmon or creamy pasta.
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The Alois Lageder winery was established in 1823 and today it is managed by the family’s fifth and sixth generation. The winery is located in Magrè, in the southern part of the Alto Adige region. With a holistic approach, creativity and an experimental spirit Alois Lageder produces wines that reflect the diversity of Alto Adige. We are committed to biodynamic wine production and continually expand our knowledge in this area. In addition to the family owned vineyards (135 acres / 55 hectares) the winery collaborates with around 80 grape growers (247 acres / 100 hectares).
Alois Lageder believes that organic and biodynamic cultivation greatly enriches the landscape. One of the goals of biodynamics is to build a closed farm organism and to increase diversity and fertility. The winery collaborates with mountain farmers who bring their cows and sheep in the winery’s vineyards during the autumn and winter months, following the old tradition of transhumance. This helps to increase the vitality of the grapes and the biodiversity.
A few years ago, Alois Lageder started to cooperate with some local winegrowers from the wider Dolomiti area, which is why Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco have the Dolomiti appellation. Today, this collaboration and organic farming are met with enormous interest allowing us to expand this project giving the wines their own name: Terra Alpina. The Terra Alpina wines are characterized by a unique interplay of harsh Alpine and sunny Mediterranean influences.
Showing a unique rosy, purplish hue upon full ripeness, this “white” variety is actually born out of a mutation of Pinot Noir. The grape boasts two versions of its name, as well as two generally distinct styles. In Italy, Pinot Grigio achieves most success in the mountainous regions of Trentino and Alto Adige as well as in the neighboring Friuli—all in Italy’s northeast. France's Alsace and Oregon's Willamette Valley produce some of the world's most well-regarded Pinot Gris wine. California produces both styles with success.
Where Does Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio Come From?
Pinot Gris is originally from France, and it is technically not a variety but a clone of Pinot Noir. In Italy it’s called Pinot Grigio (Italian for gray), and it is widely planted in northern and NE Italy. Pinot Gris is also grown around the globe, most notably in Oregon, California, and New Zealand. No matter where it’s made or what it’s called, Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio produces many exciting styles.
Tasting Notes for Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio is a dry, white wine naturally low in acidity. Pinot Grigio wines showcase signature flavors and aromas of stone fruit, citrus, honeysuckle, pear and almond. Alsatian styles are refreshing, expressive, aromatic (think rose and honey), smooth, full-bodied and richly textured and sometimes relatively higher in alcohol compared to their Italian counterpart. As Pinot Grigio in Italy, the style is often light and charming. The focus here is usually to produce a crisp, refreshing, lighter style of wine. While there are regional differences of Pinot Grigio, the typical profile includes lemon, lime and subtle minerality.
Pinot Grigio Food Pairings
The viscosity of a typical Alsatian Pinot Gris allows it to fit in harmoniously with the region's rich foods like pork, charcuterie and foie gras. Pinot Grigio, on the other hand, with its citrusy freshness, works well as an aperitif wine or with seafood and subtle chicken dishes.
Sommelier Secrets
Given the pinkish color of its berries and aromatic potential if cared for to fully ripen, the Pinot Grigio variety is actually one that is commonly used to make "orange wines." An orange wine is a white wine made in the red wine method, i.e. with fermentation on its skins. This process leads to a wine with more ephemeral aromas, complexity on the palate and a pleasant, light orange hue.
A mountainous northern Italian region heavily influenced by German culture, Trentino-Alto Adige is actually made up of two separate but similar regions: Alto Adige and Trentino.
Trentino, the southern half, is primarily Italian-speaking and largely responsible for the production of non-native, international grapes. There is a significant quantity of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Merlot produced. But Trentino's native and most unique red variety, Teroldego, while still rare, is gaining popularity. It produces a deeply colored red wine rich in wild blackberry, herb, coffee and cocoa.
The rugged terrain of German-speaking Alto Adige (also referred to as Südtirol) focuses on small-scale viticulture, with great value placed on local varieties—though international varieties have been widely planted since the 1800s. Sheltered by the Alps from harsh northerly winds, many of the best vineyards are at extreme altitude but on steep slopes to increase sunlight exposure.
Dominant red varieties include the bold, herbaceous Lagrein and delicate, strawberry-kissed, Schiava, in addition to some Pinot Nero.
The primary white grapes are Pinot grigio, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot blanc, as well as smaller plantings of Sauvignon blanc, Müller Thurgau. These tend to be bright and refreshing with crisp acidity and just the right amount of texture. Some of the highest quality Pinot grigio in Italy is made here.