THE CASTLE CELLAR IN APPIANO

The wines of Fritz Dellago

Growing in the family's own vineyards, which surrounds the castle, are precious grapes whose boundless abundance of aromas is treasured by wine lovers from all over the world. Fritz Dellago cultivates these exquisite wines with great passion and heart. Such high expectations are always met with impressive results.

More than just wine aficionados appreciate the wines of Fritz Dellago. His Gewürztraminer was the official wine of the 2008 Olympics. In 2012, the Pinot blanc was enjoyed at the Olympic games in London. Fritz delivers part of his Pinot blanc to the cooperative "Kellerei Bozen" winery. A wine sold on the market under the Dellago name is developed here from these high-quality grapes. It is precisely this wine that Gambero Rosso awarded with 3 glasses from 2007 to 2010.

Vineyards which surrounds the castle

The winery is spread out over 4½ hectares. This relatively small vineyard acreage presents a vast variety of grapes. There are many different types of grapes grown here: Pinot blanc, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot gris, Riesling, Zweigelt, Pinot noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Moscato giallo, and Petit Manseng.

Vintner Fritz Dellago loves diversity and has no favorite grape variety. Each type of grape has its own special character. The most important thing to him is to bring out and enhance the specific character of the grape. This results in the pure, unadulterated taste of his wines.

wine list

Weinbuch Fritz Dellago

Wein ABC

Endless spectres of aroma.

WINE BUNKER & FRITZ DELLAGO’S TUNNEL

A winery with an exceptional wine cellar

This bunker can hardly be described as a beauty. It is an archaic giant, attractive and at the same time forbidding. The smooth outer contours are appropriately sturdy - made almost entirely of concrete in a seamless construction. These walls are between 4 and 5 meters wide. Its true size is hidden. This concrete monument with a total length of 33 meters is halfway underground. Similar to the shape of a club, the back part expands to a width of 17 meters and a height of 12 meters.

Once a symbol of war, this bunker is now a symbol of wine and culture. It is an underground annex, a creative renovation, and an aesthetic construction - in a few months, Fritz Dellago transformed the war bunker into a wine bunker. In the heart of the bunker are the barriques and elaborately arranged wine bottles. They are in the perfect location, because with the enormous concrete walls, a constant, ideal temperature for wine storage is maintained. Fritz Dellago has created an overall aesthetic component for his winery from a gigantic war relic with tact and a sense of style.

The current wine bunker is used for more than just the wine making process. It now also serves as a symbol of culture and offers a sophisticated setting for wine tastings, readings, vernissages, and concerts. From the bunker, a path leads along the rows of vines up above to the barrique tunnel. It is also a relic from World War II. After its renovations, it serves a purpose. What previously protected people in the event of an air raid now provides red wines in barrels with the best conditions to mature.

Today, the 200m long former air raid shelter is now the Fritz Dellago tunnel, which also houses the concrete, egg-shaped fermentation tanks. Maturing wine in concrete is not a new invention during today's time but the shape is. The egg shape adheres to the rules of the golden ratio. There are no blind corners. This assists in the circulation of the wine content. Without corners and edges, the wine can move fluently. This creates a straightforward, pure product, a wine in its most honest, original form. This is the exact kind of wine that castle host and vintner Fritz Dellago loves the most.

Honest and unmodified

So are Fritz Dellago’s wines.

lg md sm xs
Depending on the selected cookie settings, not all content will be displayed. You can change the settings > here.