Nals Margreid presents seven Nama vintages at Merano WineFestival
A vertical tasting of the 2016, 2018–2023 vintages traced Nama’s transition from a white blend to a pure Chardonnay and outlined the Alto Adige winery’s extended maturation regime.
Nals Margreid presented seven vintages of Nama at the 35th Merano WineFestival, using the vertical tasting to examine the evolution of the Alto Adige estate’s leading Chardonnay project. The lineup comprised the 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 vintages.1
The presentation took place as a masterclass led by Cristina Mercuri, Master of Wine and founder of Mercuri Wine Club. Nals Margreid said the session was intended for the trade professionals, wine enthusiasts and industry experts attending the festival, and to communicate its long-term work in the vineyard and cellar. Sales Director Gottfried Pollinger described the tasting as an opportunity to open that approach to a wider audience.1
From a blend to pure Chardonnay
Nama’s composition changed during the period covered by the tasting. The 2016 vintage contained 85% Chardonnay, 9% Pinot Bianco and 6% Sauvignon, while the 2018 was made with 90% Chardonnay, 7% Pinot Bianco and 3% Sauvignon. Beginning with the 2019 vintage, the wine has been produced exclusively from Chardonnay.1
By showing vintages from both sides of that transition, Nals Margreid placed the stylistic change at the center of the presentation. The estate said it developed Nama as a signature wine capable of expressing its Alto Adige vineyards through a single Chardonnay with the structure for extended aging.1
Winemaking and maturation
According to the winery, every vintage begins with selective harvesting by hand, followed by fermentation and 18 months of aging in small oak barrels. After blending, the 2016 wine spent 12 months in stainless-steel tanks before bottling; the later vintages spent nine months in steel. All then received a further year of bottle aging.1
The extended maturation, grape selection and emphasis on vineyard origin underpin Nals Margreid’s presentation of Nama as a long-lived regional white. The estate associates the wine with the mountain environment and soils around Nalles in the Adige Valley, within the cool, high-altitude wine region of Alto Adige.1
Time, identity and continuity
Winemaker Harald Schraffl, identified by the estate as the principal force behind Nama’s development, said the project arose from a desire to convey Alto Adige’s mountains and the depth of its soils. He said revisiting seven vintages demonstrated how time brings out the wine’s elegance and identity.1
The side-by-side format also allowed the estate to show annual vintage differences alongside continuity in its production approach. Nals Margreid describes Nama as one of its benchmark wines, combining technical precision with territorial identity. No changes to production volumes or distribution were announced with the tasting, and the winery provided no pricing details.1
Sources
Written by the Dionysus editors from the sources above.
