Italian and South Tyrolean wine lose one of its greats: Franz Haas has passed away

Italian and South Tyrolean wines have lost one of their greatest personalities. Franz Haas, seventh generation at the helm of the famous mountain winery, in the province of Bolzano, on the slopes of the Dolomites, passed away yesterday due to a heart attack. Franz Haas, seventh generation of winemakers at the helm of the winery, was considered the “father” of South Tyrolean Pinot Noir, the vine with which the winery has become one of the brightest gems in the area. The winery was founded in 1880, and handed down as a family tradition to the eldest son, who was always called by the name of Franz.
On the winery’s website, Franz Haas VII is described as “undoubtedly a man of tradition, but he has the spirit of innovation and experimentation. He is not afraid of challenges, because for him wine is synonymous with life. he has been making Pinot Noir for more than thirty years. It is a noble grape that gives life to extraordinary wines, but it can be also capricious in cultivation and it is easily subject to diseases and climatic changes. Over this period of time he has vinified not just a single Pinot Noir per year, but instead, several, to follow various theses, various cultivation tests of the different clones, various vinification tests and various aging tests. Franz, as is his nature, obviously kept precise accounts, and to date, he has vinified 592 Pinot Noirs. He discovered that high altitudes give the grapes unique characteristics. He is constantly looking for that perfect wine, which he has not yet managed to produce”.
His children, Franz Haas VIII and Sofia, together with their mother Maria Luisa, will now be at the helm of the business. “Franz Haas”, the website continues, “is not just a winery, and it is not just a brand. Franz Haas is a man, a family that has been producing wine for seven generations, and who for seven generations has put their philosophy of life into wine, i.e., the continuous, tireless pursuit of perfection. Each Franz Haas using his own touch and style. To obtain superb wines”, according to the Franz Haas winery, “we need science and calculation, but it is love, passion and determination that give them character and depth”. This is the story of a family, a man's dream, which will now be carried on by the eighth generation of Franz Haas.