Manincor

From the Brenner road to the top of South Tyrol

Every tourist on the way to Lake Kaltern passes the estate without suspecting what lies behind it. The historic manor house with its striking tower has stood by the road for over 400 years. What you cannot see: the modern cellar built into the hillside, which makes use of gravity. No pumps, constant temperatures thanks to the cool rock.

Michael Graf Goëss-Enzenberg, himself a qualified oenologist, studied in Salzburg and learned the trade from the ground up. When he took over the estate, he made a bold decision: no more delivering to the cooperative, but his own wines under his own name. The first years were hard, but the course was right.

Three lines, one principle

The wines fall into Hand, Herz and Krone (hand, heart and crown) – according to origin and selection. The Hand line offers the entry point with the Keil from Vernatsch or the fresh La Manina as a white cuvée.

The heart beats in the single-site wines: the Tannenberg, a Sauvignon Blanc with stony minerality instead of tropical fruit. The Sophie, a Chardonnay with richness and drive. And the Eichberg as a Weissburgunder that recalls German Große Gewächse. Among the reds, the Rubatsch impresses as a powerful Lagrein full of concentrated fruit.

Biodynamics without compromise

The conversion began in 2005, the first fully biodynamic vintage followed in 2006. Three years later the entire range was certified. Today 463 hectares – fruit, vines, forest and meadows – form a single unit farmed according to Demeter guidelines. Chickens, sheep and bees are part of the operation, and herbal teas replace synthetic sprays. The nearby Pranzegg estate also works on similar principles.

Helmuth Zozin, estate director since 2008, brought his holistic understanding with him: from pruning to bottling he thinks in connections. Two thirds of the white wines ferment spontaneously, and with the reds it is one hundred per cent. The terroir speaks, the winemaker listens.

Cassiano: South Tyrol meets Bordeaux

The Cassiano stands for Manincor's ambition: a cuvée of Merlot and Cabernet that does not shy from comparison with its great model. Not a copyist, but an independent interpretation – with the freshness of the Alps and the ripeness of the south. The Krone line, bottled only in special years, shows where the journey can lead.