The number 300 plays a major role at Colterenzio winery: 300 days of sunshine, 300 members, 300 hectares of vineyards.

The winery was founded in the year 1960, when 26 winegrowers from Colterenzio near Appiano established their own co-operative as a way of gaining independence from the wine merchants of that time. These rebels named the newly founded co-operative after their home, the little hamlet of Colterenzio, known in Italian as “Colterenzio”. These winegrowers were true pioneers, however, because after founding their co-operative they consistently began to increase product quality. This notion of quality was transmitted to all other members, who began experimenting with new varieties and forming quality groups. Today the 300 members and staff of the winery continue their work using exactly this model.

The grapes are grown on a total area of 300 hectares: the vineyards are located between 230 and 650 metres above sea level in one of Alto Adige’s best cultivation areas. A total of 14 varieties are grown: 35 percent of the wines are reds, the remaining 65 percent are whites. Colterenzio has long aimed to work in harmony with nature, a principle that applies not just to the vineyard – where the vines are tended with great care and harvesting is done only by hand – but also includes the cellar. Since the completion of rebuilding works in spring 2012, the winery is now largely self-sufficient in energy thanks to the installation of photovoltaic panels and a heat recovery system.