A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES
It has become something of a tradition. Once again this year, when winemakers, sommeliers, representatives of the wine industry and connoisseurs of fine wines flock to the picturesque wine village of Kurtatsch in South Tyrol on 11 and 12 April, they will be heading to Alois Lageder’s SUMMA. The international trade fair, with well over a hundred participating producers, is enjoying ever-growing popularity.
One of the reasons why the event is so highly regarded lies in the fact that the organising winery, Alois Lageder, lays its cards on the table during SUMMA. With guided tours of the vineyard and cellars, tastings and masterclasses, the public gains a profound insight into the philosophy and working methods of the winery, which are ultimately responsible for the quality of the final product.
BIODIVERSITY IS THE KEY FACTOR
With a vision of sustainability, Alois Lageder began converting his winery to organic standards more than 30 years ago. The aim was to replace chemical and synthetic preparations largely with natural remedies, thereby creating an efficient ecosystem in the vineyard. “Healthy agriculture should be able to produce within itself what it needs.” Following this quote from Rudolf Steiner, who is widely regarded as the founder of biodynamic agriculture, the estate moves away from monocultures and strives for biodiversity, encompassing plants, trees and animals. The guided tours of the vineyard, offered during the summer, use practical examples to explain the application of biodynamic principles and their ultimate impact on the final product.
DISCOVERING THE NEW, REDISCOVERING THE OLD
The central hub of SUMMA is the tasting stations in the evocative rooms of the Löwengang and Hirschprunn estates. Visitors from the wine industry and the catering sector, sommeliers and chefs, have the opportunity to put products from international wineries through their paces and discover their distinctive features. Each is unique in its own way, whether through the influence of the vineyard sites and microclimate, or the traditional and experimental methods used in winemaking. Two of them attracted great public interest last year and are back again this year:
EXOTICS THAT AREN’T REALLY EXOTICS
Lebanon has been making headlines recently due to political tensions, but who would have guessed that high-quality wine is also produced there? The Middle East is certainly not a wine-growing region, but insiders know: Château Musar is the most famous Lebanese winery, and the cuvée of the same name produced there was already showered with awards in the late 1970s.
French oenological expertise served as the inspiration when Gaston Hochar founded the Château Musar winery near Beirut in 1930. On the limestone soils of the Bekaa Plateau, some 1,000 metres above sea level, he found the ideal microclimate for producing wines in the French style. Modelled on the great Bordeaux wines, the Chateau Musar red wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan grapes. Aged in small oak barrels, it matures in the bottle and impresses with its long ageing potential. Less well known are the white wines, which are nevertheless also recognised for their above-average quality.
SETTING ACCENTS
This is the aim of South Tyrolean Konrad Pixner with his Domaine de l’Accent winery in the Terrasses du Larzac appellation, in the heart of the Languedoc region in southern France. He focuses on innovation and does not go with the mainstream trend of heavy, full-bodied French red wines. Much like the Alois Lageder winery, he is committed to biodynamic vineyard management, and through spontaneous fermentation, he leaves further stages of vinification to nature. At the foot of the Larzac Plateau, Pixner benefits from extreme temperature differences between day and night and is able to produce interesting wines with a pleasant freshness. Such as the white wine ‘Accenteur’, made predominantly from Carignan Blanc and several local grape varieties, or the red wine made from Grenache, ‘Una Notte’, which – as the name suggests – spent just one night on the skins. The flagship wine of Domaine d’Accent is the Cuvée Elliot, a complex red wine made from the Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan varieties typical of the Languedoc. Fotos © Domaine de l´Accent
THE COMETS
They are like the celestial bodies of the same name on the outer reaches of the solar system. However, the Comets from the Alois Lageder winery are wines born of experiments with grape varieties, in cultivation and in vinification, focused on innovation and visions of the future. Why the association with space? Some wines from this range are like comets in the sky; they shine brightly and promisingly, only to fade away as soon as they fail to live up to expectations. What remains are the insights gained, which flow into the oenologists’ portfolio and can provide valuable assistance in the production of established wines.
SUMMA 2026 – MORE THAN JUST A TRADE FAIR
People know each other. They meet up. New contacts are made and long-standing relationships are refreshed. The interests are the same; wine brings people together. Informal conversations with producers who are happy to share their knowledge bring together experts and wine lovers. But the Alois Lageder winery offers even more, supporting charitable organisations in South Tyrol with donations. The architectural features of the Hirschprunn and Löwengang estates and the installation of art objects on the grounds are sure to delight art enthusiasts.
Sources:
Summa.eu
Aloislageder.eu
Domainedelaccent.fr
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