Kerner - Tauber

Tauber's Kerner DOC is one of those wines that immediately makes it clear why Emporio Divino is a different kind of wine shop — not the usual northeastern Italian whites, not mass-produced Pinot Grigio, not international Chardonnay, but an Alto Adige Kerner from a small artisanal producer that makes 3,500 bottles a year and is difficult to find outside the province of Bolzano.

Kerner is an aromatic grape variety of Tyrolean origin — a cross between Schiava (Trollinger) and Rhine Riesling created in Germany in the mid-20th century and later enthusiastically adopted by Alto Adige winemakers, where it found an ideal terroir in the Dolomite valleys and on plateaus exposed to the northwest. The name refers to the German poet and physician Justinus Kerner — a tribute to the Tyrolean cultural tradition that permeates this grape variety and these wines. In Alto Adige, Kerner has developed its own distinct personality compared with German versions — fresher, more mineral, with aromatic complexity reminiscent of Riesling but with an alpine structure and salinity that German Riesling rarely achieves.

Tauber is a small artisanal winery in Alto Adige that works with Kerner with absolute respect for the grape variety and the terroir — 6 months of aging in stainless steel to preserve the full complexity of its varietal aromas, followed by 2 months in bottle before release. Using stainless steel is the right choice for young Kerner — any time in wood would cover the delicate, complex aromas of this grape variety, which speaks directly in the glass of the Dolomites and the alpine microclimate from which it comes.

On the nose, it is aromatic and captivating — completely different from any Veneto or Tuscan white in the catalogue: intense white flowers (geranium, white rose, jasmine), white peach and apricot, delicate citrus (lemon, lime), alpine herbs (mountain thyme, chives), light spices (white pepper, ginger), and a delicate, fresh, petrol-like minerality reminiscent of great Alsatian Riesling, but with a more direct, fresher alpine character. On the palate, it is balanced and precise — well-calibrated acidity, persistent mineral salinity, a light, flowing texture, and a long aromatic finish with notes of white fruit and alpine spices. Serve at 11°C. A white wine that surprises those who do not know it and satisfies those who seek it.

At €19, a 100% Kerner from a small Alto Adige producer with 3,500 bottles is one of the most original and sought-after Italian white wines in the entire Emporio Divino catalogue.