Recent tradition and a venerable heritage

The Valle Isarco boasts an extremely old wine making tradition. The earliest evidence dates back to 500 BC and consists of grape seeds and implements for wine production. And as early as the Middle Ages, poets and singers such as Oswald von Wolkenstein and Walther von der Vogelweide decanted wines produced in the Chiusa and Bressanone area. From the late 19th Century to the end of World War II, wine making in the Valle Isarco was virtually abandoned, only to blossom once again with the foundation of the Cantina Produttori Valle Isarco in 1961. The Cantina’s first site was located in the celebrated cellars of the Reinthalerhof estate (see photo). Anton Gfader, its owner, was named its first manager by the 24 founding members. After a fire ravaged the old Reinthalerhof estate in the winter of 1962, the executive office of the Cantina decided to purchase the ruins and set up a new, modern, efficient production facility. In 1975, however, a major snowstorm crushed the production building at the facility, so the Cantina Produttori Valle Isarco moved to its current headquarters, which can be easily reached from the Chiusa motorway exit and from the Brennero state highway. In 2005, a new production facility was built at the Chiusa site, and the old plant was given a general restoration. At present, the Cantina Produttori Valle Isarco has 130 members from 11 municipalities: Varna, Bressanone, Funes/Tiso, Velturno, Chiusa, Laion, Castelrotto, Villandro, Barbiano, Fié and Renon.