Elena Walch

From Milanese architect to pioneer of South Tyrolean viticulture

The history of the Elena Walch winery begins with a coincidence and ends as one of Italy's most significant winemaker biographies. 1985, the architect Elena Schenk, who grew up in Milan and was educated in Venice, marries the South Tyrolean winemaker Werner Walch and moves to Tramin on the Wine Road – to an area she herself describes as a "Snow White landscape." She was hardly familiar with viticulture until then. But instead of settling for a supporting role, she takes the helm: starting in 1989, she appears on the market with her own wine line and thus becomes the first woman to openly venture to the top of the South Tyrolean wine industry. Today, her daughters Julia and Karoline continue to lead the estate in the fifth generation – both with international experience at wineries in Bordeaux and Australia.

Consistent transformation: Guyot instead of pergola, terroir instead of tradition

What Elena Walch does from the mid-1980s in the two cru sites Castel Ringberg and Kastelaz is initially considered a provocation by many colleagues. The traditional Vernatsch planting on pergola training gives way step by step to Guyot pruning in wire frames – and instead of the local variety, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot are planted in the soil. The goal: lower yields, healthier grapes, more precise varietal style. The Vigna Castel Ringberg lies above Lake Kaltern at around 400 meters; clayey sand soils and the microclimate shaped by the lake with warm days and cool nights give the wines structure and depth. The Vigna Kastelaz is a south-facing steep slope on limestone soils above Tramin at 360 meters – traditionally reserved for Gewürztraminer, which has its namesake home here. Both sites officially carry the state-recognized "Vigna" predicate, which guarantees the origin of the single-vineyard wines. Sustainability permeates the entire production chain: no herbicide use, gentle soil cultivation, promotion of biodiversity. As an answer to climate change, the estate now manages more than 15 hectares of vineyards at an altitude of over 600 meters – primarily for Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Alpine expression, clear signature: the range between freshness and power

On a total of 60 hectares – spread over an altitude range of almost 800 meters – a range is created that reflects the climatic and geological diversity of South Tyrol. The white wines show fresh acidity structure, precise fruit, and alpine pull; the reds – above all the Lagrein Riserva Castel Ringberg – combine concentration and velvetiness, which Elena Walch herself describes with the image of "tigers on velvet paws." Targeted but never overwhelming use of wood in the cellar ensures depth without opulence. In the Vinoscout range, you will find not only the Cardellino Chardonnay and the Chardonnay Selezione but also the Pinot Grigio of the Vigna Castel Ringberg – single-vineyard wine from the lake-cooled microclimate above Kaltern – as well as Lagrein Riserva, Merlot, Pinot Bianco, and Pinot Grigio from the Selezione line. The international reputation is proven: the Gewürztraminer Vigna Kastelaz 2023 was included in the Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2024; in March 2026, the winery appeared as the first South Tyrolean house on the cover of the Wine Spectator.