What Makes Special Wines Different?
Sometimes, it’s what they don’t have: help, flattery, attitudes, or compromises. This is learned from visiting the Pranzegg winery in Bolzano.
Many books exist about making good wines—hundreds, in fact. There are practical guides, philosophical essays, scientific studies, and textbooks. You could fill a library with them. When you talk to Martin Gojer, the young winemaker at Pranzegg, you can tell he knows many of these books and understands their messages. It feels like he took parts from them until only an empty shell was left. He believes wine is best when the cellar master steps back. “Our job is to guide the grape to the glass,” Martin says, although that "merely" deserves some attention.
Selling Grapes? Too Boring!
If Martin’s philosophy of winemaking were a road, it would go straight from the vine to the glass—without any detours or twists. Knowing this it’s surprising that Pranzegg winery is in such a difficult location. You have to take a narrow, winding road up to Kohlern and then an even narrower path to the farm. There we meet Martin and his partner Marion Untersulzner. They run the winery together. Martin grew up in the vineyards and his hands show hard work. His full beard suggests he has a sense of style or perhaps likes comfort. When he speaks he does so thoughtfully, starting his story from the beginning.
In 1935, Martin's grandmother bought the Pranzegg estate, which operated as a mixed farm until the 1970s producing livestock crops and grapes for sale. For a long time they didn’t make wine at Pranzegg. When Martin took over in 1997 at just 18 he continued to sell grapes. But soon he found selling grapes boring. “I wanted to grow and develop” he recalls. In the early 2000 he made changes: he planted new vines renovated the house and cellar, and prepared to enter the wine business. “In 2009 we made our first wine.”
From More to Less
They started with two hectares of vineyards which are steep and need to be worked by hand. They lack everything needed for industrial production: space and machines. But Martin didn’t want that kind of production. Instead he chose a careful path. His father had avoided herbicides and fertilizers, so Martin inherited good soil. He soon realized he could also avoid certain pesticides. “You gain experience and confidence, and you realize you can do without synthetic products.” When his daughter Caroline was born in 2009 he felt it was wrong to use synthetic sprays.
Martin first converted the farm to organic farming and has been biodynamic since 2014. This method suits his approach: biodynamic farming values individuality, looks at each situation separately and sees soil and plants as a whole. “We avoid certain practices and also add natural inputs from the cosmos and the moon” Martin explains. “This is not a belief for me; I’m practical: I’ve tried it and it works.” Martin doesn’t follow trends or marketing ideas. This is clear from the labels on his wine bottles—there’s no mention of “organic.” “For us biodynamic farming isn’t a marketing point” Martin says, “only one customer cares about that.”
Unique and Uncompromising
Since starting in 2009, Martin, Marion, and the Pranzegg winery have grown. They now manage about four hectares of vineyards around Kampill, Signat, and Unter- and Oberplatten on the Ritten. Pranzegg remains a small winery, which Martin prefers. “I can make my wine my way; I don’t have to compromise or follow market demands” he says.
This is the basis of Martin's wines: individuality and no compromises. “If I let others decide how to make my wines I could still be selling grapes.” This strong stance includes not using origin labels. No “DOC” appears on his bottles, and Martin gives three reasons for this. First origin labels create expectations for consumers. Second, if you rely on an origin label you have to change how you make wine if you move. “You shouldn’t change your basic approach. That must stay the same!” The third reason is clear: no compromises or regulations.
Keep It Simple!
Martin's methods in the vineyard and cellar are straightforward and logical. The journey starts with high-quality grapes: “We avoid all aids, so we depend on the best raw product.” The grapes are vinified ferment peacefully, and the wine matures. “We only step in if there’s a problem; our job is to find the right time to bottle the wine” Martin explains “We just guide the wine.” He believes that wine develops better without interference. He also avoids analyses, trusting his experience.
“My approach” Martin smiles, “is practical.”
With this practical approach, Pranzegg produces 20,000 to 25,000 bottles of special wine each year. Two-thirds are red and one-third is white. The whites include a Gewürztraminer and two blends from specific areas. One blend is called “Caroline” from Kampill, and the other “Tonsur” comes from grapes grown at 700 meters elevation on the Ritten, giving it unique qualities. In the red wines Pranzegg offers a light red, Lagrein “Laurenc,” and a Vernatsch called “Campill.” A special series “fuori serie” varies each year. “Every year something different goes into the bottle” jokes the cellar master who takes on many roles at Pranzegg.
Recommendations Sell Best
Knowing Martin Gojer’s philosophy, it’s no surprise he takes a unique path in selling his wines. He avoids common sales tactics like focusing on price or online marketing. Instead Martin and Marion depend on personal contacts and word of mouth. “We want people to drink our wine because a trusted friend recommended it not because of an origin label” Martin explains. As a result, only about 10 percent of production is sold in South Tyrol, and 30 percent in the rest of Italy. The remaining 60 percent goes abroad to places like Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, England and even the USA.
Looking at their sales growth, Pranzegg has taken a different route. While most wineries focus first on local markets before expanding abroad Martin has done the opposite.
Now, demand for Pranzegg wines exceeds supply, showing the appeal of South Tyrolean “natural wine.” However, Martin is cautious about this term as he dislikes labels imposed on him and his wines. He believes “natural wine” is misleading because nature does not make wine. “Wine is a human creation; it combines nature with culture” says Martin.
On Good Wines and Their Importance
Since wine is also a part of drinking culture the question remains: what makes a good wine?