From the pearls in the glass

"So this is where the cradle of South Tyrolean bottled fermented sparkling wine lies," explains Lorenz Martini from Girlan almost reverently. His father had once pressed a few hundred bottles of sparkling wine for his own use. "And I was fascinated," the son recalls. He wanted more and started his own production in an old cellar in 1985. Today, the Lorenz Martini sparkling wine cellar produces 15,000 to 20,000 bottles of sparkling wine a year. The Comitissa Pas Dosé Riserva presents itself with a noble name and a noble blue label. Comitissa in Latin stands for countess. Pas Dosé refers to the extreme dryness with minimal residual sugar (1.5 g/l) and the omission of added sugar in the dosage. For the blending ratio of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir, Martini has meanwhile "his own recipe".

“We’ve been making sparkling wine since 1979,” reports Chairman Bernhard Leimegger. Current annual production is 35,000 bottles. The Praeclarus Brut, a “sparkling wine for everyone,” has recently undergone a rejuvenation through reduced bottle aging. It spends at least 24 months on the lees before being disgorged (removed from the frozen yeast plug) and bottled. The location of the bottle fermentation is quite special, as the Sankt Pauls winery stores most of its sparkling treasures in a bunker. Located in front of the Paulser Feld, not far from the village, the striking, rounded structure from 1937 watches over six to seven vintages. The meter-thick walls ensure constant temperature and humidity. The Praeclarus Pas Dosé – a vintage sparkling wine – is aged on the lees for at least 48 months, using only selected base wines from a single vintage. It is a sparkling wine par excellence, for which only select wines from a specific vintage are used. (Currently, the 2020 vintage is available.)

Since autumn 2024, the range has been expanded to include another sparkling wine, the Praeclarus Rosé Brut. "This cuvée embodies the power and character of the Pinot Noir grapes, which achieve a very high level of quality in our growing region," explains cellar master Philipp Zublasing. This rosé sparkling wine, produced using the traditional method of bottle fermentation, consists predominantly of Pinot Noir, which gives it structure, while the Chardonnay provides its distinctive elegance.

The Praeclarus sparkling wines from the Sankt Pauls winery are literally stored in a vat. This structure, ideally suited for storage, can be visited during guided tours in the summer and by group requests.

The "Lamm N° 12" sparkling wine from the Winkler sparkling wine producer in Girlan is presented in a pot-bellied bottle and a flower-filled box - named after the family residence at Lammweg 12. "The reason for this is that the manual work from the vineyard to the entire sparkling wine production is fundamental and will remain so in a family business," says owner Michael Winkler. He turns the bottles in the riddling desks, which originate from Champagne, all individually and by hand. After 20 years of standstill, he has revived sparkling wine production. Founded in 1977 by father Helmuth Winkler, the business had to be closed down in 2001 due to health reasons. Finally, on 29 March 2021, the eldest son presented a fresh, drinkable sparkling wine, produced according to the Champagne method from Chardonnay (70%), Pinot Noir (20%) and Pinot Blanc (10%), extra Brut with 3 g/l residual sugar. The grapes for the annual production of 13,000 bottles come from sites at altitudes of 550 metres and above. "High acidity with phenological ripeness is important for our style," explains Winkler. The elegant presentation is part of a larger whole, to be joined by a rosé in 2022.