Alois Lageder

In 1823 Johann Lageder laid the foundation of the business, trading in wine in Bolzano alongside his work as a wagon maker. His successors bought the first vineyards and began making wine themselves. In 1934 the family acquired the Löwengang Estate in Magrè, where the winery's headquarters are today; Count Melchiori, the owner at the time, had planted its plots with Carménère, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon around 1875. The Lindenburg Estate in Bolzano has been the family's residence for three generations. In the 1990s Alois Lageder, father of the current generation, set out to raise the level of quality at the winery, and in 1995 he initiated the construction of a new cellar building in Magrè. The winery has been family-owned for six generations and is led by the sixth, the siblings Alois Clemens, Helena and Anna Lageder.

• 1823: Johann Lageder began trading in wine in Bolzano; his successors bought the first vineyards and began making wine.
• 1934: the family acquired the Löwengang Estate in Magrè, now the winery's headquarters.
• 1995: construction of the new cellar building in Magrè began.
• Family-owned for six generations; led by the sixth generation.

The winery is led by the sixth generation. Alois Clemens Lageder is managing director and CEO, overseeing the cellar, agriculture, sales and finance; Helena Lageder leads marketing and communication, represents the winery as brand ambassador and oversees the Vineria Paradeis; Anna Lageder is event manager and organises the annual SUMMA trade fair. Jo Pfisterer is Head of Production and oenologist, working with winemakers Paola Tenaglia and Marion Pedron, and Katharina Alverá is Head of Agriculture and manages the vintner partners. The team numbered 90 employees from 18 countries as of 2026. Their father, Alois Lageder, was born in 1950; he was elected Italian president of Demeter in 2016 and held the presidency of the biodynamic association until 2022. Alois Clemens Lageder succeeded the veteran cellarmaster Luis von Dellemann at the head of production, with Georg Meissner as consultant to the new production team.

• Managing director and CEO: Alois Clemens Lageder; marketing, communication and Vineria Paradeis: Helena Lageder; events and SUMMA: Anna Lageder.
• Head of Production and oenologist: Jo Pfisterer; winemakers: Paola Tenaglia and Marion Pedron; Head of Agriculture: Katharina Alverá.
• Alois Lageder (born 1950) was president of Demeter in Italy from 2016 to 2022.
• Alois Clemens Lageder succeeded cellarmaster Luis von Dellemann, with Georg Meissner as consultant.

The family owns 55 hectares (136 acres) of biodynamically cultivated vineyards and sources further grapes from around 60 vintner partners across Alto Adige, whose 85 hectares (210 acres) bring the total to 140 hectares (346 acres). The Classical Grape Varietals are mostly produced from partners' grapes. The vineyards range from 200 metres (656 feet) to 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) above sea level, on soils that include volcanic porphyry around Bolzano, weathered primary rock with quartz, slate and mica in the Isarco and Venosta valleys, and limestone and dolomite rock in the south of Alto Adige; the climate is Alpine-Mediterranean. Vines are trained on Guyot and pergola systems and pruned by the Simonit & Sirch method, all grapes are picked by hand, and the oldest vines are approximately 150 years old. The selected Löwengang parcels in Magrè lie at 230 to 330 metres on sandy, gravelly soils with a high content of limestone. Römigberg is a steep slope on Lake Caldaro facing south-southeast, at 250 to 330 metres, where the Cor plot was planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot in 1986. The Krafuss vineyards, on a hilltop in Appiano at 430 to 450 metres, surround a Renaissance estate; they were planted exclusively with Pinot Noir on the wire trellis system in 1991 and have been farmed biodynamically since 2013. Lindenburg, in Bolzano at 280 metres, lies on deep alluvial soils, and its vineyards were renovated in the 1950s in the traditional pergola style.

• 55 hectares (136 acres) family-owned plus 85 hectares (210 acres) from around 60 vintner partners: 140 hectares (346 acres) in all.
• Vineyards from 200 to 1,000 metres; porphyry, primary rock, limestone and dolomite soils; Alpine-Mediterranean climate.
• Single-site wines from Löwengang (Magrè), Römigberg (Lake Caldaro), Krafuss (Appiano) and Lindenburg (Bolzano).
• All grapes picked by hand; oldest vines approximately 150 years old.

Alois Lageder began experimenting with biodynamic practices in the family vineyards in the 1990s. In 2004 the family vineyards began the shift to biodynamic agriculture, and in 2008 the winery introduced its first biodynamically certified wines. Over 13 years the winery encouraged its vintner partners to convert, and in 2024 all of them adopted organic or biodynamic methods. From the 2024 harvest a value system built on five pillars, soil, plant, animal, human and market, forms the basis for the economic evaluation of partners' work, which determines the price of their grapes. Misto Mare, an assemblage of grapes from partner vineyards that are not yet certified, is the one wine outside organic or biodynamic certification from the 2024 vintage onwards. Oxen and cows graze in the biodynamic vineyards and pigs are part of the farm; the oxen spend summer on mountain pastures and the other seasons in the vineyards, and the Römigberg vineyard is home to chickens, geese, turkeys and peacocks. GrandOrto, a biodynamically farmed vegetable garden among the vineyards, supplies the winery's organic restaurant, the Vineria Paradeis.

• 1990s: first biodynamic experiments; 2004: family vineyards began the shift to biodynamics; 2008: first biodynamically certified wines.
• 2024: all vintner partners organic or biodynamic, after 13 years of encouragement.
• Value system from the 2024 harvest: five pillars (soil, plant, animal, human, market) underpin grape prices.
• Oxen, cows, pigs and poultry on the farm; GrandOrto garden supplies the Vineria Paradeis.

The cellar building in Magrè, begun in 1995, was built with materials aligned with building-biology principles and renewable energy sources. Its vertical cellar system, with a 14-metre pressing tower, allows grapes, must and wine to be processed largely without pumps, and the underground space was drilled out of limestone rock for natural temperature and humidity. Cellar work follows international and Italian Demeter standards: fermentation is spontaneous, with yeasts native to the cellar and vineyard; sulphur and bentonite are used minimally and only as needed; and filtration is tailored to each wine. Vessels include stainless steel, large wooden barrels, barriques, cement and tonneaux. The use of new oak has fallen sharply: as of 2024, only around 10% of the wood used for Löwengang was new. Since the 1980s, the question of how to keep the wines fresh as temperatures rise has driven experiments in the vineyard and cellar; a few of these reach the market each year as Comets, each label personalised with a comet's tail painted on with a fingertip. In 2021 the winery introduced the 420-gram Summa bottle to replace a 650-gram bottle.

• 1995 cellar: building-biology materials, renewable energy, a 14-metre pressing tower and largely pump-free processing.
• Spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts; minimal sulphur and bentonite; filtration tailored to each wine.
• Around 10% new wood for Löwengang as of 2024.
• Annual Comets releases from cellar and vineyard experiments.

The main range has three product lines totalling 33 wines. The Classical Grape Varietals include Pinot Grigio, Müller Thurgau, Gewürztraminer, Lagrein, Lagrein Rosé, Vernatsch-Schiava, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Riserva, Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay. The Compositions combine components such as grapes from different vineyards, old and young vines, various vinification methods and varied harvest timings: Porer Pinot Grigio, Surmont Riesling, Fragment Sauvignon Blanc, Fórra Manzoni Bianco, Vogelmaier Moscato Giallo, Am Sand Gewürztraminer, Mimuèt Pinot Noir, XV Merlot, Conus Lagrein, Versalto Pinot Bianco and Gaun Chardonnay. The Crus undergo the most rigorous selection, in the vineyard and the cellar: Löwengang Chardonnay, Römigberg Schiava, Krafuss Pinot Noir, Lindenburg Lagrein, MCMLVII Merlot, Casòn Rosso (Tannat and others), Löwengang Cabernet Uvaggio Storico, Cor Römigberg Cabernet Sauvignon and Casòn Bianco (Viognier and Petit Manseng). Additional lines are Misto Mare, the red sparkling Rosso Mosso, the experimental Comets and Rarum, a reserve of Crus set aside each year since the 1995 vintage. The winery works with 30 grape varieties, including Blatterle, Fraueler, Tannat, Petit Manseng and Viognier. Löwengang Chardonnay took its present form after Robert Mondavi visited the estate in 1981 and suggested barriques; the first official vintage of the new-style wine came out in 1984. The winery calls it the first white wine from Alto Adige to successfully position itself on the international markets, in the 1980s.

• Classical Grape Varietals: varietal wines, mostly from partners' grapes.
• Compositions: wines built from components, including Porer Pinot Grigio, Fórra Manzoni Bianco and Conus Lagrein.
• Crus: the most rigorously selected wines, including Löwengang Chardonnay, Krafuss Pinot Noir, Lindenburg Lagrein and Löwengang Cabernet Uvaggio Storico.
• Löwengang Chardonnay: barriques suggested by Robert Mondavi on a 1981 visit; first official vintage of the new style in 1984.

The winery gives its wine style as 'precise, fresh, authentic' and favours 'wines that are fresh and lively, the kind that invite you to enjoy not just one but multiple glasses.' Alois Lageder has put the regional case in his own words: 'The essence of Alto Adige is elegance, freshness and mountain streams. We have to express this, not lush and overripe fruit.'

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://aloislageder.eu/about-us/family, https://aloislageder.eu/about-us/numbers-and-figures, https://aloislageder.eu/about-us/team_en, https://aloislageder.eu/about-us/about-us_en, https://aloislageder.eu/biodynamics-diversity/biodynamics, https://aloislageder.eu/biodynamics-diversity/we-did-it, https://aloislageder.eu/biodynamics-diversity/vintner-partners, https://aloislageder.eu/biodynamics-diversity/farm-organism, https://aloislageder.eu/biodynamics-diversity/cellar, https://aloislageder.eu/projects/architecture-art, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/all-wines, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/classical-grape-varieties, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/crus_en/loewengang-chardonnay-en, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/crus_en/loewengang-cabernet-uvaggio-storico-en, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/crus_en/roemigberg-wines, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/crus_en/krafuss-wines, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/crus_en/lindenburg-wines, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/rarum-en, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/comets, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/misto-mare-en, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/classical-grape-varieties/pinot-grigio-en, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/classical-grape-varieties/lagrein, https://aloislageder.eu/wines/classical-grape-varieties/gewuerztraminer-en. Secondary sources: Decanter (interview, 4 April 2018: https://www.decanter.com/magazine/interview-alois-lageder-386679/; Richard Baudains, 6 July 2024: https://www.decanter.com/premium/baudains-alois-lageder-interview-lowengang-chardonnay-tasting-533390/) and Wine Spectator (Robert Camuto, 18 August 2020: https://www.winespectator.com/articles/tyrolean-wine-avant-garde-part-2-back-to-the-future). Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-19