Elena Walch, Pinot Grigio, Alto Adige, Italy 2023

“Elegant, with an appealing, creamy nappe to the texture as it carries notes of ripe pear, peach skin, blood orange peel, green almond and orchard blossoms. A tangy streak of salinity and lively acidity focus and refresh the finely woven flavors and nicely spicy finish. Drink now through 2029.”-91WS

Elena Walch is a 5-generation family-run estate in Alto Adige, a region in the North-East part of Italy, that led the wine quality revolution in the area and has gained a prominent international reputation.

An architect by trade, Elena Walch married into one of the oldest and most significant wine families of the region and brought new, modern concepts to the traditional approach. Today, the responsibility for the family business is in the hands of the Elena’s daughters, Julia and Karoline.

With 90 hectares of vines, including the two most representative, VIGNA Castel Ringberg in Caldaro und VIGNA Kastelaz in Tramin, Elena Walch is one of the most important producers in Alto Adige.

The estate is internationally respected for varietal wines sourced from multiple proprietary locations, ‘Vigna’ wines from some of the most acclaimed sites in the valley and award-winning, top cuvees such as the renowned “Beyond the Clouds.”

Born and raised in Milan, Elena Walch completed architecture studies in Venice and settled in Bolzano when she married into a prominent wine family in the village of Tramin.

Fascinated by the interplay between nature, people and pleasure, and unbiased by preconceptions, she set about investigating avenues for improvement. Elena’s list of innovations, including high-density planting, “Guyot” vine training and employment of French oak barriques, represented a sensational change in thinking thirty years ago.

Paramount to the evolution was a dedication to single vineyard wines, individually expressive of their specific place, an idea unheard of in Alto Adige at the time.

Luckily, the next generation of Walchs, sisters Julia and Karoline – oenologically educated in Burgundy, Bordeaux and Adelaide – are taking the lead while continuing to follow the family’s successful recipe: progress without losing respect for tradition.