Kuenhof
This small farm, owned by Peter and Brigitte Pliger, is located in the Isarco Valley, in the municipality of Bressanone. The Kuenhof estate has been a wine-producing area for about 800 years, where high-quality wines are produced, and has been owned by the Pliger family for about 200 years. Kuenhof is a cru of less than 6 hectares, where the vineyards, situated between 550 and 700 meters above sea level, are mostly terraced due to the steep slope of the hill. The soils composed of clayey sands and schist rocks, the southeast exposure, and the dry, well-aerated climate make these vines the ideal habitat for the four white wines produced: Sylvaner, Riesling, Veltliner, and Terlano Aromatico.
The “maso” Kuenhof, formerly owned by the bishop of Bressanone, has been owned by the Pliger family for about 200 years. Until 1989, the grapes were delivered to the Novacella Abbey, and the first bottling in-house took place in 1990: just 1,500 bottles. In 1991, the Pliger family restored the old farmhouse and completely renovated the cellar to meet modern needs.Towards the end of the 1990s, another very important turning point occurred in the life of this winery: the transition to organic farming. Peter decided twenty-five years ago to take care of the family vineyards, and since then, with curiosity and passion, he has made Kuenhof one of the most beautiful realities of South Tyrol.
All this while maintaining a precise sense of limit: he cultivates only the hectares he can manage personally, because «I take care of my plants myself, as I know each one of them». In the cellar, winemaking takes place according to the principles of organic and natural production, without the addition of sulfites or sugars: the resulting wines, perhaps due to the fantastic mix of soils, climate, vines, and perhaps also due to the adoption of the “Stelvin” (screw cap) for sealing the bottles, are mineral and savory when young and enveloping and seductive with a few years of aging.
This small farm, owned by Peter and Brigitte Pliger, is located in the Isarco Valley, in the municipality of Bressanone. The Kuenhof estate has been a wine-producing area for about 800 years, where high-quality wines are produced, and has been owned by the Pliger family for about 200 years. Kuenhof is a cru of less than 6 hectares, where the vineyards, situated between 550 and 700 meters above sea level, are mostly terraced due to the steep slope of the hill. The soils composed of clayey sands and schist rocks, the southeast exposure, and the dry, well-aerated climate make these vines the ideal habitat for the four white wines produced: Sylvaner, Riesling, Veltliner, and Terlano Aromatico.
The “maso” Kuenhof, formerly owned by the bishop of Bressanone, has been owned by the Pliger family for about 200 years. Until 1989, the grapes were delivered to the Novacella Abbey, and the first bottling in-house took place in 1990: just 1,500 bottles. In 1991, the Pliger family restored the old farmhouse and completely renovated the cellar to meet modern needs.Towards the end of the 1990s, another very important turning point occurred in the life of this winery: the transition to organic farming. Peter decided twenty-five years ago to take care of the family vineyards, and since then, with curiosity and passion, he has made Kuenhof one of the most beautiful realities of South Tyrol.
All this while maintaining a precise sense of limit: he cultivates only the hectares he can manage personally, because «I take care of my plants myself, as I know each one of them». In the cellar, winemaking takes place according to the principles of organic and natural production, without the addition of sulfites or sugars: the resulting wines, perhaps due to the fantastic mix of soils, climate, vines, and perhaps also due to the adoption of the “Stelvin” (screw cap) for sealing the bottles, are mineral and savory when young and enveloping and seductive with a few years of aging.
