Trentino & Alto-Adige

2 - 7 July 2007

The wonderful Trentino & Alto Adige tour in the foothills of the Dolomites takes in lakes, mountains and wine. In the past several of our regular travellers voted it as their best A&C Italian tour yet.

On arrival, we head into Trentino where we start at the award winning Tenuta San Leonardo for lunch with their stunning red wines. Then at Ferrari we enjoy a tasting of their excellent sparkling wines made in the traditional way and the perfect aperitif when matched with the local grana cheese. Our first hotel is in the beautiful but relatively unvisited town of Trento.

Our forays in the vineyards, with the spectacular backdrop of the Dolomite mountains, continue at the family run Cesconi estate. The young brothers here produce fine wines including their outstanding Chardonnay and luscious Merlot.

We continue to the impressive setting of Maso Toresella, the lakeside castle and experimental vineyard of Cavit, the largest producers in the region. We enjoy outperforming wines including their fragrant Teroldego Rotiliano over dinner.

We also visit the oenology school of San Michele that has educated many top wine makers, for a fascinating talk and tasting. We continue north up the valley to the Alto-Adige. This region is also known as Süd-Tyrol, and was part of Austria until 1918. Germanic influence is evident in the language, names and cuisine. Sadly the wines are not seen much in the UK as they have an insatiable market on their doorstep in Austria and Germany.

From our base, in the lovely Belle Èpoque hotel in the heart of Bolzano, we visit top estates of the region. At Alois Laeger we have a fascinating visit to this ecologically designed winery and taste their range including the local variety Lagrein.

We start the next day with fine wines at Termino before continuing to the village of Montagne, home to the dynamic perfectionist that is Franz Haas. A first class producer, he is dedicated to making intense aromatic wines including a Moscato Rosa that we will taste over lunch at his home. Later at San Michele Appiano, one of the most historical but also innovative wineries of the region, we taste their wide range of stunning wines including fine Sauvignons.

On our return journey to Verona, we call at the family estate of Vallarom. It belongs to the son of Italy’s most famous Agronomist, Attilo Scienza. Here we see a perfect example of how attention in the vineyard is reflected in the end-product.

A spectacular tour with wonderful scenery. Not to be missed!