2024 Pacherhof - Alto Adige DOC Kerner (750ml)

Pacherhof traces its roots to before 1142, when the estate was already producing wine on a sunny slope above Bressanone, predating even the neighboring Novacella Abbey. Josef Huber married into the family in 1849 and became one of the Isarco Valley's wine pioneers, the first to plant Kerner in the region. His great-grandson Andreas Huber now runs the estate, farming eight hectares of white varieties and favoring gentle processing over small oak barrels to let the terroir speak clearly.

This 100 percent Kerner comes from vineyards in the Brixen valley basin near Neustift, planted between 600 and 900 meters on gravelly moraine soils rich in mica schist, paragneiss, and quartzite, a combination that lends the wine its signature minerality. The steep terraced slopes and wide swings between day and night temperatures help preserve aromatic intensity in the fruit. The estate farms organically and avoids small oak barrels for this bottling, relying instead on gentle handling and fermentation in stainless steel to keep the wine's fresh, precise character intact.

The wine pours a bright straw yellow with faint green reflections, opening to aromas of white peach, grapefruit, and white flowers laced with fresh herbs. The palate is full and juicy, with lively acidity carrying stone fruit flavors to a long, mineral finish. Serve it with Wiener schnitzel, speck, or fresh mountain trout.