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Weingut HOCHEGG Tirol

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STARTING FROM SCRATCH

A risky wine venture high up in the mountains? Not really, just a dream come true. Here, in the heart of South Tyrol, we’ve built our own winery. At 838 m above the Etschtal Valley the HOCHEGG is positioned at rather a high altitude. My family and I are from the Klosterhof farm in nearby Caldaro/Kaltern, where the vision of a new wine farm initially took hold. Whereas the previous owners made wine only for their own consumption, to us it is the prime focus of our business.  On our new terraces in skeleton-rich porphyry soils grape varieties such as Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling are grown organically. Our newest vineyards are surrounded by wilderness – with pine forests and a plantation of ancient chestnut trees dating all the way back to the time of Maria Theresa. After all the time and effort we’ve put into the new venture, it’s exciting to witness our first wines being made!

 

Daniel Andergassen

 

WINERY | SOILS & LOCATION

FERTILE SOIL & SPECTACULAR VIEWS

The HOCHEGG Winery in South Tyrol lies on a steep slope in an exposed position high above the Etschtal Valley. The terraced vineyards on the slopes span elevations of 730 – 870 m, with some differences in temperature and other microclimatic conditions. The winery and cellar at 838 m lie beneath a mixed forest that extends up to 1273 m. Here, on an overgrown hilltop near the ruins of a fortress is what remains of the ancient settlement of Enzpirg.

WINERY | SOILS & LOCATION

Hugging the mountain slope, the vineyards look out from various west-facing directions, ranging from due west/northwest/southwest. Depending on of the degree of exposure of each terrace to sun, shade, wind, etc., we decided which grape varietals to plant there. With a mixed woodland interspersed with over 100 chestnut trees, the nearby forest cover is another important factor positively influencing the farm’s microclimate and biodiversity.

WINERY | SOILS & LOCATION

CLIMATE

Mainly due to the elevation difference, climatic conditions at the HOCHEGG differ significantly from those down in the Etschtal Valley, with 4°C lower temperatures on average. The terraced vineyards enjoy adequate ventilation and plentiful sunshine all day until sunset, while in the evenings they are sheltered by the nearby trees. The altitude and microclimate favourably enhances the physiological ripeness of the grapes, optimising development of their aroma, colour, and tannins – while yielding lower alcohol levels.

 

At a glance:

  • Cooler climatic conditions as compared with the main wine-growing areas down in the valley
  • Significant day/night fluctuations in temperature
  • More hours of sunshine thanks to the exposed location at high elevations
  • Excellent ventilation due to the high slopes, with adequate shelter provided by woodlands

 

WINERY | SOILS & LOCATION

SOILS

The organisation of our 5 hectares of vineyards into land parcels was a major factor in our planning right from the beginning. The terraces below the wine cellar required intensive manual labour to create the clover terraces which are grassed over to enable organic growth. Thanks to the healthy soil, a layer of humus quickly formed over the skeleton-rich ground. Low in porphyry, the high skeleton soil content helps the vines root more deeply, evening out their growth while promoting a naturally high resistance to drought.

 

At a glance:

  • Rich skeleton content
  • Porphyry (Bolzano/Bozen quartz, Auer Formation, 1 - 15 m thick)
  • “Barren” soil, low organic content
  • Excellent drainage capacity
WINERY | LAND PARCELS & GRAPE VARIETIES

When we planted our vineyards on 5 hectares of what used to be meadows and pastures, we encountered no obstacles as the land had already been designated for agricultural use.

However, creating new terraces on slopes with gradients of 40-50% (even reaching 70%) was much more challenging. In order to tame the stony porphyry soil we had to make use of heavy excavators and other earthmoving equipment, while also clearing the undergrowth that had covered the paths. Each plot was studied in detail to help us select the grape varieties and clones best suited to a specific location. We opted for Burgundy varieties and also dared to plant Riesling.

WINERY | LAND PARCELS & GRAPE VARIETIES
Plaesl Neuanlage Ziggelwiese Beim Hüttl Untere Leit Kohlplatz Orchideen-Wiese Grosse Leit Kelleracker

PLEASL

Orientation: West-northwest

Coolest parcel with clayey earth, good soil thickness, strongly influenced by the air flows from the surrounding forest. Average slope gradient: 40%.

Grape variety: Pinot Blanc

Orientation: West

New plant, similar characteristics to “PLEASL”. Average slope gradient: 50%.

Grape variety: Pinot Blanc

BEIM HÜTTL

Orientation: West

Our sunniest parcel of land helps these red grapes produce structure and fullness. Shallow soil, with a high skeleton content.

Grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Masalle “Klosterhof” Selection

KOHLPLATZ

Orientation: Southwest

Densely planted (0.7x1.5m) vineyards protected by a low deciduous barrier with almost 10,000 canes per hectare. Planted on slope gradients between 10% - 40%, only parcel without terracing. Shallow soil, with eroded porphyry rock beneath.

Grape varieties: Chardonnay, French clones

UNTERE LEIT

Orientation: Southwest

White grape variety planted on sandy soil in an exposed location with optimal sunshine. Ventilated by the Brantental Valley breeze (creates significant cooling in the evening/night).

Shallow, skeleton-rich soil on a terrace supported by dry stone walls. Average slope gradient: 40% - 60%.

Grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and some Riesling

Orientation: Southwest

Very shallow soil with stony, sandy soil, eroded underneath, rootable rock, significant day/night temperature fluctuations ensuring good acidity and balanced flavour.

Grape varieties: Riesling, various Geisenheim clones promote good biodiversity.

 

Orientation: West

Larger land parcel below the Kelleracker, with typically shallow soils and a higher sand content. Sunny location with a 10 m-wide limestone vein running north/south across the ground.

Grape varieties: Pinot Nero, French clones

Orientation: West

Cool location, influenced by the air masses from the surrounding forest. Skeleton-rich soil with considerable thickness (up to approx. 15m), moraine deposits and clay in deeper layers, some loamy soil.

Grape varieties: Pinot Noir Massale “Klosterhof” Selection, originally Burgundy, first planted in the Klosterhof, later replanted at the HOCHEGG.

ZIGGELWIESE

Orientation: West-northwest

Our vineyard’s highest/northernmost terraces on a slope gradient reaching approx. 70%. Requires terraces 1.5 m in height, in clayey soil, and exceptionally high skeleton content.

Grape variety: Pinot Noir

OUR PRINCIPLES

HOW WE WORK

  • 100% organically farmed grapes, without inherited damage due to previous crop spraying since no crop or livestock farming previously took place on the new parcels. HOCHEGG will be certified for organic farming as from 2024.
  • Manual operations: thanks to our labour-intensive way of working we can accurately target and control our organic farming methodology to extract maximum quality.
  • Minimal pruning to the older vines ensures longevity and vitality, slow growth/lower yields.
  • Vineyards are exclusively fertilised using cattle manure sometimes from neighbouring farms.
  • Alternate mulching in the vineyard helps maintain a habitat for non-harmful (benign) bugs.
  • Grapes are exclusively hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard and cellar
OUR PRINCIPLES
  • Vinification: in the new cellar building, grapes are carefully transported below using gravitational force for pressing and fermenting before being stored in the cellar for aging.
  • Minimal intervention: work in the cellar is almost all manual so as to conserve the integrity and quality of the grapes. Our wines should be characterised by their terroir and not by invasive interventions during vinification that would otherwise distort their character.
  • Maturation: wooden vats, mainly French oak as well as oak wood from our own forest are used so as not to overwhelm the flavour of the wine.
  • Time: great wines need time to mature. All our wines are aged in the cellar on fine lees, until bottled.
IMPRESSION
WINE-MAKING STYLE

UNCOMPROMISING

The HOCHEGG style of winemaking is largely the result of our specific location. The microclimate including the elevation of each individual parcel all play a part in the process. At this elevated altitude the high skeleton content and shallow quartz porphyry of the soils also plays a decisive role in guaranteeing the high-quality of our organic wines. The modus operandi at the HOCHEGG is also very much a reflection of my own winemaking style, to which I steadfastly adhere.

WINE

RISERVA

Pinot Nero

From 2025

 

                                                                                          

 

WINE

CASTANEO

Pinot Noir

Land parcels: Zigglwiese, Grosse Leit, Beim Hüttl

Fermented in concrete vats, containing 20-40% whole grapes (depending on vintage), spontaneously fermented for approx. 14 days, gentle maceration > without excessive extraction, malolactic fermentation in barriques, 12 months in French barriques (25-35% new wood), followed by further ageing for approx. 3-4 months in concrete vats.

Coarse filtration for bottling in March

WINE

KOHLPLATZ

Chardonnay

From 2025

 

 

                                                                                                                

WINE

ENZPIRG

Pinot Blanc

Land parcel: Plaesl

Whole grapes gently pressed, 100% fermented in French tonneaux oak, further maturation for 11 months on coarse lees. Partial malolactic fermentation depending on the vintage characteristics.

Bottling in August

WINE

STEINBRUCH

Riesling

From 2025

 

                                                                                          



WINE

ROSÉ

Pinot Noir

Land parcels: Zigglwiese, Grosse Leit, Beim Hüttl, Kelleracker

Earlier harvesting to obtain a higher acidic content and increased freshness, short (4-8 hour) maceration, fermented in concrete vats, aged in steel barrels in used tonneaux vats without malolactic fermentation.

Bottling in spring/summer

WHO WE ARE

LIVING THE DREAM

We, the Andergassen family from the Klosterhof farm in Caldaro/Kaltern, have been involved in the craft of winemaking for decades. As farmers, at times we have to make bold decisions. Our parents eventually decided to take the plunge and purchased the HOCHEGG farm on the nearby Breitenberg mountain at an auction. Recognising the natural beauty and potential of this magnificent piece of land we’ve worked hard to transform it into the winery that it is today. The timing was perfect, because Daniel came back to South Tyrol from the Hochschule Geisenheim University highly trained and motivated.

HISTORY

DEEP ROOTS

Oskar Andergassen built the Klosterhof in 1980 as a winery and home for his young family. Their love of wine was complemented by another strong interest – their guesthouse. And so the first overnight guests were soon welcomed to the Klosterhof. The entire family is committed to working at the Klosterhof. Starting with father and senior chef Oskar and his wife Barbara, who ventured into self-employment from the Kaltern co-operative. Both the sons, Daniel and Hannes, are highly trained and follow in their father's footsteps. Hannes has taken over at the Klosterhof.

HISTORY

DEEP ROOTS

Oskar Andergassen built the Klosterhof in 1980 as a winery and home for his young family. Their love of wine was complemented by another strong interest – their guesthouse. And so the first overnight guests were soon welcomed to the Klosterhof. The entire family is committed to working at the Klosterhof. Starting with father and senior chef Oskar and his wife Barbara, who ventured into self-employment from the Kaltern co-operative. Both the sons, Daniel and Hannes, are highly trained and follow in their father's footsteps. Hannes has taken over at the Klosterhof.

Dating from 1288, the oldest records show that the HOCHEGG farm was first registered as “Heinrichs Hof in Ekke”. Surrounded by an unspoilt mixed forest and ancient chestnut trees, which can be traced back to Theresian times, the farm stand at an elevation of 730 – 870 m and had, since the 1980’s, served solely as a residence.

 

HISTORY

LOOKING BACK

When the HOCHEGG farm suddenly came up for auction in 2017, there was hardly any time to appraise the property and Oskar was unsure if this was really the golden opportunity they were hoping for. The property was unkempt and some of the paths through it were completely overgrown with vegetation. Fortunately, the Andergassen family’s courage and quick reaction paid off and Oskar’s bid was successful. They had just purchased almost 70 hectares of land that extended as far as the upper ridge of the Breitenberg mountain, including the ancient human settlement of Enzpirg.

HISTORY

PANORAMIC SETTING

After buying the rather run down farm in 2017, it took considerable financial commitment and planning to transform and modernise it into a completely new South Tyrolean wine estate. With its 5 hectares of vineyards above the Etschtal Valley, the HOCHEGG now operates independently of the Klosterhof down in Caldaro/Kaltern thanks to the new wine cellar and residential building which were completed earlier this year (2023). For the first time the grapes harvested on the farm could be pressed and matured in the HOCHEGG vats. Given the scenic location, Daniel is also keen to develop onsite accommodation and a suite of holiday flats with panoramic views which are set for completion in 2025.

HISTORY

 

 

1288

 First cited in the archives as “Heinrichs Hof in Ekke”. Later “Hof am Eck”, and finally shortened to HOCHEGG. Its owners are therefore called the "Hochegger".
1500’s Vineyards (producing own wines) and buckwheat cultivation. A water well was excavated that still belongs to the HOCHEGG estate.
1980 The Herbst family farmed wheat, buckwheat, maize, cabbage, turnips, potatoes, chestnuts, and grapes (own wine consumption).
2017 Purchased by the Andergassen family at an auction
2018 - 2022 The existing vineyards were extended with new terraced plots to increase production for commercial purposes
2021 First new grapes harvested (pressed & matured at the Klosterhof Winery in Caldaro/Kaltern)
2022 - 2023 Construction of a new HOCHEGG wine cellar
TRANSFORMATION

MOVING THE MOUNTAIN

New vineyards were planted from 2018 to 2022 on small, newly excavated terraces, which involved heavy earthmoving equipment at no small expense. The new cellar was also completed in time to enable the 2023 vintage wines to have been entirely produced at the HOCHEGG. Slowly but surely, the whole project is proceeding as planned with new tasting rooms and 

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