Warm and dry – that is a fair summary of 2004, a year which at first seemed to be nothing special, with a normally cold winter, a slightly fresh spring and an average summer. But the unusually long and mild autumn, one of the warmest in the last few decades, became the key to an extremely interesting vintage. The year began with a very cold winter with little snow, and no frost damage was caused in the vineyards. Following snowfall at the beginning of March, which even carpeted the valley bottoms in white, spring soon arrived with a sudden rise in temperatures. April brought the full range of wet and dry days and also high and low temperatures, as did the May, and the new shoots on the vines were slightly later in arriving than in an average year. The summer, too, began with cool and wet weather, but after a few days the mercury went up. The days were not excessively hot, however, and the nights regularly brought the temperatures down, which had positive effects on the quality of the grapes. The rain stayed away not only during the summer, when the vineyards had to be irrigated to counter the drought, but fortunately also during the harvest. That was a very smooth operation, and it was not until the middle of October, when the last load of grapes was already being processed in the winery, that the heavens opened and finally released the urgently needed rain.

Cool storage at constant temperatures, high level of humidity and as little light as possible
Cellar temperature: 10 - 15 °C
Excellent ageing potential > 10 years

• The quartz porphyry bedrock is of volcanic origin.
• The light, sandy-loamy soils are the foundation for naturally limited yields.
• The soils have a 55-60% quartz content and a slightly acidic pH.
• The minerally and distinctive wines are highly prized for their outstanding longevity.

Soil samples taken from three different sites have revealed the presence of a subvolcanic body around Terlano, which differs in composition from the classic volcanic rock. The skeletal sandy loamy soils have a high quartz content. The absence of calcium carbonate explains the slightly acid pH values. These factors result in a high permeability to water, a limited nutrient supply and thus balanced growth with naturally limited yields. Exceptional soil conditions influence the terroir of Terlano, where the vines have developed a specific reaction to micro-stress and produce their own terroir-specific polyphenols, which give the Terlano wines their distinctive character. The result is particularly salty wines with great tension and depth. The special mix of crystals and minerals in the Terlano soils produces white wines whose unique longevity never fails to impress the world’s wine gurus.

The high peaks of the main Alpine chain protect South Tyrol from the Atlantic winds and cold northerlies, while the region benefits from the Mediterranean climate from the south. Terlano has a remarkable microclimate, with pronounced differences in temperature between day and night caused by the cool downslope winds from the mountains.
To the south, a number of mountain massifs like the Adamello also have a protective function. As a result, annual precipitation is only about one-third of the average for the southern Alpine foothills, and the number of hours of sunshine is higher. The climatic conditions are not unlike those to be found in wine-growing areas like the Swiss Canton Valais.
When the sun rises behind the mountains east of Terlano on one of the year’s 300 sunny days, it is already high in the sky as the wine-growing area has a westerly to southwesterly exposure. The lower atmospheric density permits more direct solar irradiation with less diffuse sunlight. That increases the difference between the slopes on the sunny and shady sides of the valley.

Microclimate in Terlano
Continental climate (Cfa Köppen-Geiger)
Annual sunshine hours: ø 2135
Maximum temperatures: 38,2 °C
Average temperatures: 12,9 °C
Minimum temperatures: -10,7°C
Annual precipitation: ø 600 - 700 mm
Average global radiation: 150,1 W/m²
Winds
North foehn: cool and dry down-slope wind
Ora: valley wind system from the south, bringing in air from the Po Valley