Ep 310: The quality revolution of Alto Adige, Italy with Karoline Walch of Elena Walch

<p><a href="https://www.elenawalch.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">Elena Walch</a> is a winery with an essential role in the quality revolution of Alto Adige, Italy.<a href= "https://www.elenawalch.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener"><img style="float: right;" src= "https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/show/45638/logo_big.jpg" alt="" width="140" height="28" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>Alto Adige is in the northeast corner of Italy and has unlimited variety and wines that offer delicate, unique flavor profiles. Located south of the Alps, in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains (where the <a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">ice mummy was found</a>!), vineyards here are planted on steep slopes, river valleys and some warmer plains. The vast differences in microclimates and soils in this sloping terrain make wines that have ample fruit but beautiful acidity that keep them crisp and bright.</p> <p> </p> <p>In the 1980s and early 1990s a very important figure emerged in <img style="float: right;" src= "https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/show/45638/Elena.png" alt="" width="240" height="141" />Alto Adige wine: <a href="Elena%20Walch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elena Walch</a>. Her story is unusual – she doesn’t come from a wine family or background, nor did she plan to get into wine. But in her job as an architect, fate brought her together with the Walch family and she quickly became the head of the Alto Adige quality revolution, gaining local and international esteem for her efforts  around quality and innovation</p> <p>Now, her daughters, Julia and Karoline <a href="Elena%20Walch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Walch</a>, the fifth generation are taking over and today we have Karoline to tell us this amazing story and talk about Alto Adige, the small, gorgeous region in northeast Italy that makes beautiful cool climate wines.</p> <p>The estate is dedicated to terroir-driven wines.</p> <p>In this show, Karoline Walch talks with me about Alto Adige and the<br /> <a href