“12 wine pioneers” of South Tyrol explain the qualitative shift of the territory

Twelve interpreters, pioneers in the 1970s and 1980s, who headed the qualitative transformation of South Tyrol wines, whcih today are increasingly gaining recognition in markets all over the world, and, whose stories, challenges, and visions have been collected in documentary “Vino in Alto Adige - Storia di una rinascita” - “Wine in South Tyrol - History of renaissance” by director Peter Künzel, premiered, in the last days, at the Filmclub in Bozen and promoted by Consorzio Vini Alto Adige - South Tyrol Wine Consortium. From the testimony of Elena Walch for Elena Walch to that of Louis Raifer for Colterenzio, from Hans Terzer for San Michele Appiano to Willi Sturz for Cantina Tramin, and then Alois Lageder (Alois Lageder), Josephus Mayr (Unterganzner), Paolo Foradori (Hofstätter), Peter Dipoli (Dipoli Peter), Josef Reiterer (Arunda Sektkellerei), Hartmuth Spitaler (Girlan), Toni Rottensteiner (Hans Rottensteiner), and Graziano Filippi (St. Magdalena). The film was created to pay tribute to these protagonists, recounting their insights, courage, and cultural legacy.
Starting in the second half of the 1980s, the entire South Tyrol wine sector underwent a radical transformation, shifting from red wines to outstanding white wines which allowed South Tyrol to become a recognized leader on the international stage: one of Italy most prestigious wine regions (with vineyard values in the Lake Caldaro area reaching up to 900,000 euros per hectare, according to Crea), and, which, about a year ago, also introduced 86 Ugas (Additional Geographical Units) to further enhance its identity. Each year, 40 million bottles are produced, 96% under DOC denomination, including 600,000 bottles of traditional-method sparkling wine, which are mainly sold through the HoReCa channel and exported to many markets worldwide, starting from the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, and South Korea (and with a 2025 harvest rated as excellent by leading producers, as reported by WineNews during the Bozen screening and the Merano WineFestival 2025, in a video coming soon online, ed).
“If, during the wine crisis of the 1980s, there had not been visionary men and women willing to take risks and change course, South Tyrol would not be where it is today  - said president of Consorzio Vini Alto Adige Andreas Kofler - back then, everyone was rowing in the same direction, believing in a new future for South Tyrol wine and working tirelessly to make it happen”.
The film plot unfolds through editing enriched with spectacular images, where the mountains become silent and absolute protagonists, intertwined with the rhythms of nature and its seasons, telling the patient art of wine production: from the first warm rays of spring sunshine to the golden autumn harvests. Alongside the historical figures, the film also gives voice to the new generation of producers: women - daughters and granddaughters - who carry on the legacy with passion, responsibility, and courage, including Helena Lageder (Alois Lageder), Veronika Pfeifer (Pfannenstielhof), Gloria Mayr (Nusserhof), Katharina Mayr (Erbhof Unterganzner), Emma Foradori (Hofstätter), and Maria Niedrist (Niedrist Ignaz).
“It is precisely the dialogue between past and present, between experience and renewal, that makes the film so vibrant and relevant - explained Eduard Bernhart, director of the Consortium and creator of this special project -  more than a documentary, this project aims to be an archive of memories, experiences, emotions, and stories”.
The docufilm - five years in the making - is the second major cultural initiative promoted by the Consortium, following the book “Vino in Alto Adige” - “Wine in South Tyrol”, published in 2024 in Italian and German, and recently awarded by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (Oiv) as one of the best books in the “Wines and Territories” category.