“Gutskeller” Castel Ringberg, the estate’s new cellar

In the heart of the “monopoly” of Elena Walch, classified as Vineyard, lies its romantic namesake Renaissance castle “Castel Ringberg” overlooking Lake Caldaro, in the province of Bolzano. A cellar long almost forgotten, located opposite the castle entrance, has now been brought back to life and completely modernized.

The “Gutskeller” cellar (Estate Cellar) digs deep into the steep slopes of the vineyard and offers optimal conditions for largely natural underground cooling. It was built about 140 years ago – already then as a wine cellar – while the construction year of Castel Ringberg can be traced back to 1620. However, since the Walch family acquired the estate about a hundred years ago, the cellar has remained empty. As a former architect, Elena Walch has brought new life to the historic estate cellar.

A copper-colored corten sheet shaped like a honeycomb rests on the barrel vault and protects the interior from the moisture of the vineyard above. The wooden barrels from French and Austrian producers below are arranged in two rows, in a play of light and shadows. The cellar entrance is surrounded by a small vineyard of “Souvignier Gris”, a fungus-resistant PIWI variety, underlining the sustainable guiding principle of the family business.

Starting from the 2022 vintage, Sauvignon, Riesling and Pinot Grigio Vigna Castel Ringberg, as well as Pinot Bianco Kristallberg, are then matured in the 14 wooden barrels of 25hl each in the Gutskeller. The large wooden barrel discreetly contributes to the structure of the wines, while maintaining their character to respect the identity of the individual vineyard.

The Castel Ringberg estate cellar is another step by Elena Walch to further emphasize the idea of terroir. The aim is to produce wines of the highest quality, genuine and sincere, which are an expression of the place where they grow and where in the future they will also mature, right in the middle of the Vigna Castel Ringberg.