Alto-Adige has been the gateway between Austria and Italy for significantly longer than either country has existed, and the people who live in these narrow alpine valleys have learned to take the best parts of each culture for their own. For winemakers like Eva Kaneppele at Weingut-Tenuta Ritterhof, that synthesis results in beautifully clear headed and fresh wines like this Vernatsch – Schiava in Italian – grown in the sand and gravel soils near the Lago de Caldaro – Kalterersee in German – and under the eaves of Monte Roen a little way south of Bolzano. Reliably warm and sunny days follow reliably cold nights at this elevation, giving wines from Alto Adige an ideal balance of power and energy. Like any proper Vernatsch, the wine is fruity with a touch of spice. Strawberry pie, raspberry, sage, thyme and yellow pepper. The palate offers more red berries with notes of pepper and oregano, before a fresh burst of acidity on the finish that leaves room for all the goods on the charcuterie board.