Kellerei Girlan

From 23 winegrowers to a cooperative with history

In 1923, the first members joined together to form the wine cooperative in a 16th-century farmhouse in Girlan, a wine village documented since 1085 above Eppan. The founding chairman was Johann Kofler Krautschneider — his name stands for the communal impulse behind this founding: vinifying grapes together, bundling quality, and opening up markets. The initial harvest of the 23 founding members amounted to around 2,700 hectoliters. Today, around 200 winegrower families cultivate about 230 hectares of vineyards in the best locations of the Überetsch and Unterland — a development over four generations that would not have been possible without a clear commitment to quality. As early as 1950, the cooperative introduced quality-based payment; in 1961, the Vernatsch Fass Nr. 9 became the first iconic selection, followed in 1975 by the site-specific Vernatsch from the Gschleier single vineyard. From 2010, the winery was equipped with modern technology — today, the pressing room, fermentation cellar, and an expanded bottle storage area work together behind the historic walls.

Terroir as a guide, cellar master as a link

At Girlan, the concept of terroir is not a marketing term, but a working basis. The vineyards are spread over altitudes between around 400 and 550 meters above sea level, on soils of glacial moraine material, porphyritic substrates, and lime- and clay-containing layers — a diversity that explains why harvest times and aroma profiles differ significantly depending on the plot. Each site is considered separately, the harvest is selective, and the batches are kept separate in the cellar. Cellar master Gerhard Kofler — responsible for the wines since 2005 — accompanies the winegrowers throughout the entire vegetation period and advises them directly in the vineyard. This close exchange is the practical basis for what the winery calls sustainability: from the soil to the people. Kofler uses modern cellar technology in a controlled manner, with the declared goal of keeping the origin recognizable in the wine — not masking it.

The winery's labels tell their own story: Hartmut Spitaler, Kofler's predecessor, asked the South Tyrolean artist Paul Flora in the mid-1970s to design the first label for the Gschleier Vernatsch. Flora, who was one of the best-known graphic artists in the German-speaking world until his death in 2009, subsequently took over the entire visual language of the winery — his illustrations are now also sought after by collectors.

Native grape varieties, clear line hierarchy

The range of the Girlan winery follows a clear structure. At the center are the autochthonous grape varieties of the region: Vernatsch (Schiava), Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Noir. They are complemented by Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, and Lagrein. The product lines are tiered from the classic winery line to the Flora wines — named after Paul Flora, from selected plots — to the selections with independent site identity and high aging potential. The 448 s.l.m. line plays with the altitude as a description of origin and bundles cuvées that show the breadth of the range: white, rosé, and Vernatsch from a single source. The Trattmann Pinot Noir Riserva has been awarded the “Tre Bicchieri” by Gambero Rosso for 13 consecutive years, and the Gschleier Alte Reben Vernatsch was named “Italy's Wine of the Year” by Decanter Magazine. What you find here in the shop ranges from accessible white wines with alpine freshness to structured red wines that bring aging potential.