In 1960, 26 winegrowers from Colterenzio founded their cooperative near Eppan, Bozen, in South Tyrol, thus making themselves independent of the wine merchants setting the prices at the time. This handful of rebels gave the newly founded cooperative the name of their land: the small village of Schreckbichl (in Italian, Colterenzio), also playing a pioneering role in consistently pursuing a path of quality. Luis Raifer set the ball rolling and joined the cooperative as director in 1979. He brought a baggage full of ambition following his study trip to California.
It was the 1980s, and South Tyrol was mainly a land of low-quality red wines. Raifer, himself a winegrower, recognised the potential of this land for its excellent wines. Taking advantage of the favourable terroir, the adequate size of the vineyard area and the expertise of the local winegrowers, he took the initiative. First, on his 'Lafòa' estate, a sun-kissed hillside, he replaced the Schiava vines with Cabernet Sauvignon vines and later with Sauvignon Blanc. He introduced an exceptional quality standard for wines of excellence, i.e. a smaller harvest quantity but with high-quality grapes. Thus a new dimension of quality began to take shape from his 'pilot' vineyards with Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc.
This philosophy was passed on to everyone, experimenting with creating quality groups with new varieties. To this day, members and employees of the winery consistently pursue this model, both in the vineyard and in the production of all wines.
At the heart of this project are now 300 winegrowers: members of the Colterenzio Winery who, with their families, work all year round in the vineyards to obtain fine grapes.
Our Chardonnay Altkirch 2022 won the best 'quality/price' award from Berebene, the Gambero Rosso guide, which rewards labels that are under 20 € on the shelf and worth tasting! This award honours our quality journey and proves that excellent wines do not have to be expensive!