Gaierhof

The beginnings in the 1940s

Germano Togn worked as a produce broker before beginning to vinify grapes obtained from local farmers in the 1940s. He sold the resulting bulk wine throughout Trentino-Alto Adige and in territories that had belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Over the following 15 years, Germano acquired four winemaking operations in the region. He processed selected batches of grapes from Roverè della Luna and nearby municipalities while also buying wine from small producers to use in his bulk-wine blends. The Togn family winery in Roverè della Luna became the centre of these activities.

Grape juice, financial difficulty and technical renewal

In the late 1950s, Germano expanded into grape-juice production with a German partner. The venture failed to produce the anticipated results, leaving him in a difficult financial position and ultimately forcing him to relinquish a substantial portion of his properties.

Luigi Togn nevertheless managed to preserve the winery. Working with German wine-production specialist Berthold Smitt, he imported the first specialised equipment used locally for processing white grapes, including horizontal presses. This introduced techniques considered innovative in Trentino at the time.

The foundation of Gaierhof in 1976

Germano died suddenly in 1976, after which Luigi assumed control of the family business. The bulk-wine market was flourishing, allowing him to continue investing in equipment, but demand was shifting away from demijohns and towards bottled wine. Luigi responded by founding Gaierhof in 1976 to market his Trentino wines in bottle. His cousin Adriano Dalpiaz helped build the commercial network, initially in Trentino and subsequently throughout Italy.

Maso Poli and the first exports

In 1978, Luigi purchased Maso Poli. It subsequently developed as a separate agricultural producer aimed at a more specialised niche market.

In the early 1980s, Luigi met Fabrizio Pedrolli, a Trento hospitality entrepreneur and sommelier. Pedrolli appreciated the direct, readily recognisable flavours and aromas of Gaierhof wines and involved Luigi in a project for distributing Italian wines in the United States, opening the way for Gaierhof’s first American exports.

The daughters of Luigi Togn enter the business

Romina, Luigi’s eldest daughter, joined the company in 1991. She initially managed group finances, then took responsibility for marketing and sales in Italy and foreign markets.

Valentina, Luigi’s second daughter, entered the business in the late 1990s. Trained in agriculture, she concentrated on production. During the same period, Goffredo Pasolli joined as a wine-production specialist after professional experience in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Tuscany. Valentina and Goffredo married in 2000.

In 2001, Luigi’s third daughter, Martina, joined the company. Her work covered administration and logistics, as well as collaboration with Romina in sales.

Gaierhof in 2019

By 2019, the Togn family represented one of the relatively few family-run wine businesses in the region. Gaierhof employed 12 people and reported annual production of 800,000 bottles. The family’s wider holdings also included Azienda Vinicola Valdadige, Lechthaler and the separately operated Maso Poli estate.

Gaierhof’s viticultural model is based on longstanding relationships with independent growers rather than estate-owned vines. Many suppliers are descendants of the families who began working with Germano Togn, and the company has continued purchasing grapes from the same growers over many years.

Varieties are planted and sourced according to soil type, microclimate and exposure. Harvesting is carried out by hand. The winemaker authorises the beginning of picking only when three indicators have reached the desired balance: sugar concentration, tannin maturity and acidity. Grapes are transported to the winery immediately after picking to reduce oxidation.

Fruit from each vineyard is processed separately so that the characteristics of its individual terroir can be retained. In the two selected Teroldego sites, Morei and San Marco, viticulture includes pre-harvest bunch-tip cutting approximately one month before picking, a second manual selection during harvest, pergola trentina training and yields of about 80 quintals per hectare for Riserva production.

Gaierhof’s cellar is equipped to process selected grape lots from across Trentino and South Tyrol. The production approach focuses on preserving and developing the grapes’ aromas and mineral character. Fruit arrives immediately after manual harvesting to limit oxidation, and grapes from each vineyard are vinified separately to retain the distinctions among individual sites.

The company presents its winemaking as compliant with the requirements governing DOC and IGT wines and excludes added colourants, sugar and other substances described as detrimental to wine quality. Its historical technical development began when Luigi Togn and Berthold Smitt imported horizontal presses and other specialised machinery for processing white grapes, introducing new methods to Trentino at the time.

The broader production model combines selected raw material from a large grower network with cellar technology intended to protect freshness, varietal aroma and territorial character.