Peter Wachtler Taschlerhof

The vineyards occupy a steep, sunny, southeast-facing slope immediately before Bressanone in the Isarco Valley. Across just 5.5 ha, the elevation rises by 200 m, from 530 to 730 m above sea level. Dry-stone walls support the vineyard as it climbs almost vertically up the sunlit hillside.

Sunny days alternate with cool nights. The day–night temperature difference becomes particularly pronounced in autumn and contributes to fuller, more fruit-driven grapes. The location receives approximately 300 days of sunshine per year.

The soils are lean and schistous, with a distinctly mineral character. The combination of poor schist soils, altitude, steepness, southeast exposure and marked autumn temperature variation defines the growing conditions of the estate.

Near-natural cultivation underpins the estate’s vineyard work. The pronounced steepness of the 5.5 ha site makes predominantly manual farming necessary, with dry-stone walls supporting the terraces.

Harvest is delayed until the grapes have achieved full physiological ripeness. This is intended to preserve both fruit quality and the character associated with the estate’s extreme growing position. Vineyard work remains under Peter Wachtler’s personal control as part of his independent management of the property.

Peter Wachtler oversees pressing and cellar work as part of an independently controlled production chain. The wines are matured in both stainless-steel tanks and large wooden vessels, including large acacia barrels. The combination is intended to produce balance and ageing capacity.

Young wines remain in continuous contact with their fine lees until late spring. Bottling takes place in late spring, while the wines are considered ready to drink by late summer.

A small number of Riesling and Sylvaner bottles from every vintage are retained as cellar rarities. This reserve is used to follow the wines’ development and demonstrate their longevity over many years; a 2011 Riesling is among the oldest examples currently held.

Peter Wachtler’s approach is based on personal independence throughout the production chain. As a member of Freie Weinbauern Südtirol, he makes his own decisions about vineyard cultivation, cellar style and marketing, treating each bottle as an expression of his commitment, skill and individual signature.

His stated ambition is to achieve the elegance and longevity he associates with leading wines from Piedmont, Tuscany, Wachau and Styria. Quality, in this conception, must endure and continue to develop over time. This objective informs the decision to harvest only at full physiological ripeness, mature the wines on fine lees and retain bottles from successive vintages in the cellar.

The estate deliberately limits production and concentrates on a small number of white varieties. Character, balance, fruit expression and the capacity to age are central to its conception of quality. The broader family philosophy joins an independently managed winery with a multigenerational culture of hospitality.