Whilst travelling about on our wine tasting adventure we visited many interesting vineyards and tasted many a great wine, but some places blew us away with just how welcoming and special they were, and Franz Haas was one of those places. Nestled in the hills only a short drive away from Bolzano, with a mountain landscape sitting above and across from it, we arrived to see a car bombing down the hill with about three inches of snow on its roof. Thus began a discussion with our guide about the altitude of their vineyards, their highest being a patch of Pinot Noir at 1,150 metres. And it is these altitudes that create such complexity in their wines, small plots at differing heights combined with hot summers dropping into cool fresh nights give a beautiful crisp acidity to their wines with soft fruity and sometimes tropical aromas in their whites, and cool and warm fruits in their reds.
Tasting rooms
My brother being in the wine business arranged a personal tour and tasting for us, but they have a good size tasting area open to the public by appointment. Their wine labels are bold and artistic, arising from a collaboration with the artist Riccardo Schweizer. The Franz of then was not completely convinced by using modern art, at the time traditional labels being the norm and he preferred to let the wine speak for itself rather than being defined by its label, but he decided to take the risk and it paid off as their labels really are beautiful and this artistic flair is reiterated within the tasting rooms with a fresh modern decor and lots of Schweizer’s artwork around the building.
Artwork adorning the walls
Our guide was instantly welcoming and whilst wandering around we had the wonderful opportunity to meet the current Franz himself, who was quite a character. Before embarking on our official tasting of their wines he proposed a private blind tasting of an unreleased wine, presenting us with four glasses of wine he told us he wasn’t interested in whether we liked it, but what differences we noticed between each glass. A friendly but imposing character we were eager to impress, but a little nervous. Our resulting conclusion was the rise in acidity in each glass. Correct! Phew! All wines were the same Pinot Grigio from the recent harvest, but with differing fermentation temperatures. And my brother deciphered the wine that would go on to be the new release, Franz was impressed.
Our blind tasting
And then began the tasting of their wines, all in screw tops. Franz is a great purveyor of the merit of the screw top, a great representation of the more modern approach this region has established, but unfortunately Europe is slow to catch on and so the European market requires all wines to be bottled with a cork. Whilst Alto Adige makes a wonderful Pinot Noir, it is a region famous primarily for its white wines and we tasted about six in total, including their signature Pinot Bianco and a delicious Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon blend. It is here the different altitudes come into play, grapes blended from vineyards at various levels create complex wines representing the characteristics present within each terrain. Soft minerality, refreshing but balanced acidity and complex fruit tones create beautiful wine, their Pinot Bianco being a firm favourite of mine. We then moved on to the red, tasting a Lagrein which is not a grape I am particularly fond of due to its obtuse fruitiness and lack of complexity, but here they had managed to lift the acidity and soften the fruit creating a beautifully well rounded wine. Ending on the Pinot Noir was a treat, the acidity enabling the wine to age and mature into a light, earthy wine with mushroom and raspberry notes.
We got a whole platter of ham and cheese!
Sometimes when a wine region is locked in tradition and prestige it can create barriers and lack of accessibility, a sense of superiority can prevent people from approaching the wine or the vineyards. However, at Franz I saw a vineyard steeped only in the tradition of their family, they had a modern approach with an excitement toward presenting their wines and an affability that makes you feel instantly comfortable and eager to learn about their history, so don’t let the appointment only aspect put you off. You will be warmly welcomed, you will enjoy the wine and I’m quite sure, like me, you’ll come away with a few bottles ready to stow away in your suitcase!
Franz Haas is open Monday-Saturday by appointment only. Email info@franz-haas.it or telephone +39 0471 812280
