The year began with a very dry and mild winter. A cool spring slightly delayed vine budding, but the normal growth cycle was restored by a very warm and sunny May. The first vines flowered on the earliest sites in the middle of the month, and the fine weather then led to a rapid flowering process. On the higher sites, flowering was finished by the beginning of June.

Due to an exceptionally hot and dry summer, there were few problems with fungal attack, but the lack of rainfall pushed the vines to their limits in some cases. Rainfall and thunderstorms at the end of July and beginning of August put an end to the lack of water, thus averting drought stress and related quality problems and generating the comforting prospect of an early harvest. Harvesting began on August 24 on the earliest sites. The result was fully ripe and extremely healthy grapes with slightly reduced levels of acidity.

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. That explains the pronounced differences between day- and night-time temperatures, which are the key to full maturity and elegant wines.
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 558 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