Sunday Lunch: Trentino-Alto Adige

Situated in the Eastern North corner of Italy, Alto Adige is located

directly on top of Trentino. The bordering regions are Veneto to the
south, Austria to the northeast, and Switzerland to the northwest.
This is one of the regions in Italy that is not touched by the sea.
Here the land is covered with Alpine Mountains and because of this

Alto Adige is a common destination for skiers. Alto Adige’s capital

is Bolzano and Trentino’s capital town is Trento.
After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD, this area became a

free for all. The Goths and then the Lombard’s quickly ruled it.
Eventually the Franks took over, who combined this region with that of
Friuli and the Veneto, calling the area Tre Venize or Triveneto.

Literally translating to triple Veneto. This area consisted of

Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige. In 953 AD the
areas were separated and Trentino-Alto Adige, along with the others,
became it’s own territory. It wasn’t until after the First World War
that Alto Adige became a part of Italy. Though it is technically a
part of Italy Alto Adige still remains a largely Germanic culture, the
locals call this land Südtirol (south Tyrol). The local dialect is

German and you are taught Italian at a young age in school. You will
notice a German translation on street signs and on many wine labels as
well.

The land here is primarily covered with apple trees and the vines
have to compete for space to grow. The Germanic influence in Alto
Adige runs through their food as well and the areas cuisine differs
from much of Italy. Speck (smoked prosciutto) is most commonly found
and depending on what is used to smoke it there is a vast difference

in flavors. Apple strudel and rich hot chocolate with whipped cream

are common and perfect accompaniments to cold mountain evenings.

Knödel is a common dish made using stale bread soaked in eggs and
milk. It can then be mixed with liver, bacon, salami, and greens

rolled into balls and placed in a broth, in the Trentino they call
this dish Canederli. There are also many different styles of Polenta,

wild game, mushrooms, and all things sausage. This is also good milk
producing region known for its butter and cheese (Alta pusteria,

asiago, bagoss, casolet, and spressa) to name a few.

On to the Wine!

In order to optimize grape quality and production the farmers in

Trentino-Alto Adige recently went from using Pergola to Guyot. This
helps the vines make smaller bunches that are higher in quality and have a more potent flavor.