In the last 20 years a shift towards the planting of white varieties can be noted. 58% of total production is white, which over the past 35 years has seen a steady year on year increase.

41 grape varieties are permitted for Trentino DOC, of which only 20 are of any commercial significance.

For whites the majority of growth has been seen with Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Müller Thurgau. For the reds increases have been seen in Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Marzemino.

Muller Thurgau originated in Germany where it was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss canton of Thurgau in 1882. The objective was to produce a grape with the elegance of Riesling and the productivity of Silvaner. This grape produces white wine in a handful of countries such as Germany, Austria, Northern Italy and England. Historically regarded as a workhorse of a grape due to its ease of cultivation, it is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance especially where it is grown high up in the hills of Trentino. Here the cool climate enables it to ripen later and produce elegantly structured wines with good fruit.

White-wine grape used to produce local, early drinking, light wines in the Trentino-Alto Aldige and Veneto regions of N.E. Italy.Nosiola is the only indigenous Trentino grape variety that has continued to be cultivated following phylloxera. There are two main areas where it is grown: Pressano and Valle dei Laghi. There are two very distinct styles made with Nosiola – a characterful, aromatic, subtle dry white, or Trentino’s version of Vin Santo. The latter style has a delicate bouquet, it is fresh and fruity – a splendid accompaniment to fresh water dish, or a very pleasant aperitif.

Pinot Grigio is the Italian version of Pinot Gris. It is a white wine grape and thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a greyish-blue fruit, accounting for its name ("gris" meaning "grey" in French) but the grape can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance. In Italy it has enjoyed untrammelled success with its easy going light fruity style. In Trentino it has been grown for many years in the Valle di Cembra. It produces gently aromatic white wines for early drinking

Pinot Bianco is closely related to Pinot Nero and thrives in poor soils which are gravelly, sandy and alluvial, in areas where limestone is present. It is grown on the sunny slopes of the Avisio Hills, at altitudes of between 300 and 450 metres and the yield is strictly limited. Pinot Bianco requires particularly favourable climatic conditions as the grape clusters are very compact, and the first grapes to ripen can have a tendency to rot. The wine is straw coloured with hints of green. The palate is crisp and fresh, making it an ideal aperitif.

Traminer originates from the Colline di Termeno area (Bolzano) and has long been grown in specific locations in Trentino. It is generally grown on the lower slopes, where this particular aromatic variety thrives. Vinification starts with cold crushing, followed by light pressing and fermentation off the skins at a controlled temperature. Enzymes are added to enhance this wine’s unique flavour and the resulting wine is straw-yellow in colour with an intense bouquet, a velvety texture and a gentle finish.

Chardonnay arrived in Trentino from Burgundy in around 1875 and is now considered a naturalised Trentino variety. It is of fundamental importance to Trentino’s winemaking, accounting for approximately 30% of the region’s total grape production. Although now found throughout Italy, Chardonnay is at its finest in Trentino. The method of cultivation and the terroir determine whether it produces a light, crisp wine for immediate consumption, or full-bodied wines of great character, or sparkling wines.

Schiava is a well-travelled grape, appearing under various synonyms (e.g. Trollinger in Germany, Grosser Burgunder in Austria), but its natural home is Trentino-Alto-Adige, where it is the most widely planted red grape variety. A hardy grape variety, Schiava is particularly well suited to the mountainous landscape, where it produces wines with attractive fruit, which are normally drunk young.

Lagrein is an ancient grape variety, which has been grown from time immemorial at the Benedictine monastery of Muri-Gries. It is grown in areas which border the classic Trentino Teroldego grape, with which it shares many characteristics. Fermentation is traditionally carried out on the skins, but off the skin fermentation has now also become common. Lagrein has an intense ruby colour, a violet-scented bouquet, it has good body and is full and mellow on the palate. Lagrein can be considered one of the emblematic Trentino grape varieties.

A specialty of Trentino, Teroldego is grown nowhere else. In some ways it is similar to Gamay, particularly as it thrives in one specific area, which is the Campo Rotaliano, the plain north of Trento, where virtually nothing else is planted. Teroldego is low in tannin, but high in fruit and acidity.

Marzemino was once internationally acclaimed and lives in at Don Giovanni’s last supper. This late-ripening variety is mainly grown in the south of Trentino, around Isera. Capable of producing rich, plumy wines, but very susceptible to diseases such as oidium.

The Bordeaux varietal Merlot is now well established in Italy. In Trentino, it is one of the most widely grown red grape varieties and is of great importance to the region, being used not only in single varietal wines, but in Bordeaux blends. Trentino Merlots vary in style from complex wines for laying down, to highly approachable wines for immediate consumption.

Although planted in relatively modest quantities in Trentino, Pinot Nero is part of the wine heritage of the region. Considered a “difficult” variety to grow, even in its native Burgundy, growing Pinot Nero at the northern limit of European vine cultivation is quite a challenge, but the results are tremendous. Fermentation is normally carried out on the skins at a controlled temperature, followed by barrel ageing.

Cultivated on the most favourably situated hills, Cabernet Sauvignon is used in Bordeaux blends, which have long been made in Trentino. Production amounts to almost double that of Cabernet Franc and it is used in both single and multiple varietal wines. Cabernet Sauvignon must be grown on Trentino’s best slopes in order to achieve the required quality and the characteristics of the resulting wine are a direct reflection of the vineyard site in which the grapes were grown.

• Annual production is somewhere usually between 750 and 800,000 hectolitres.
• Trentino’s production represents 1.5% of Italy’s total production.
• 60% of Trentino’s wine is bottled locally (national average is around 40%).
• Trentino DOC s represent 4.8% of Italy’s total production of DOC wine.
• New Trentino Superiore DOC was introduced in 2003
• DOC wines are 60% white and 40% red and rosé.
• There are three I.G.T.s in Trentino:
  • Vigneti delle Dolomiti (provinces of Trento, Bolzano and Belluno)
  • Vallagarina (In the province of Trento)
  • Delle Venezie (province of Trento and regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia)
• 83% of wine produced in Trentino is DOC, 17% is I.G.T.