The Tolloy vineyards are located at the bottom of the Adige valley where it narrows before opening to the hills surrounding the old village of Salorno in South Tyrol. Winegrowing in this area is an art that has been honed for centuries by tireless growers and vignerons and is expressed in the quality of Tolloy wines. The picturesque “land lying amongst mountains” in the Alto Adige region, is one of the most colourful landscapes in Europe. The gentle slopes surrounding Salorno allow vineyards to make the most of the sunlight hours while remaining protected by the Alps from harsh northerly winds. The climate is dry and mild temperatures carry long into the growing season enabling grapes to reach perfect ripeness while maintaining high acid levels.
This land has been a melting pot of cultures for centuries and this dynamic history of Alto-Adige has been the inspiration behind Tolloy’s winemaking philosophy. Between the 16th-18th centuries the South Tyrol, under Habsburg rule (then briefly the Napoleonic Empire before returning to the Austrian Empire) became a major trade crossroad between northern and southern Europe. This led to a profusion of inns in the region that became essential hubs for everything from entertainment and cultural exchange to trade/commerce and political meetings. Tolloy has been named after one of the most renowned of these innkeepers from the early 18th century, Johann Tolloy who only served the finest of the region’s wines in his establishment. Homage is paid to Johann with his portrait and signature on the label.
His popular Inn was frequented by many weary travellers, merchants and soldiers alike seeking comfort and something to slake their thirst. Here, the German and Italian cultures merged to create something a little different but enjoyable. Made with a nod to tradition and the convivial environment of Johann’s inn, Tolloy wines are meant to be savoured and shared.
Gruppo Mezzacorona Background
Tolloy is a prestige line of wines from Alto-Adige produced through a collaboration between Mezzacorona and the Salorno wine-cellar. The broader Trentino area is no stranger to grape growing and winemaking, with vineyards dating back to the 1600s. At the turn of the 20th century in 1904, a handful of farmers from Trentino decided to embrace the newly introduced cooperative system in order to remain competitive in their grape selling, and thus Mezzacorona was born. At the time, Gruppo Mezzacorona was comprised of 13 farming families. Today, the group is made up of an impressive 1,600 farming families, accounting for 2,800 hectares of vineyards, and is one of the most successful and influential wine cooperatives to come out of Italy.
Vineyard
The vineyards are located in the foothills of the Alps at altitudes varying between 250-500m above sea level. The alps protect the vines from cold winds from the north and the region benefits from the moderating Mediterranean influence from nearby Lake Garda. Vineyard soils contain composites of granite and dolomitic limestone.
What you need to know
- Tolloy is a prestigious brand from Alto-Adige, backed by Mezzacorona.
- The brand is named after an 18th century inn-keeper, Johann Tolloy, who blended was renowned for his eye to quality.
- Combination of altitude and the warm breezes coming off Lake Garda ensure phenolic ripeness of the berries while maintains fresh acidity which sets the wines apart from some of their competitors further down on the plains.
The Wine
93 pts – Jeni Port (Wine Pilot): Offers a lot more than your average pinot grigio with a deep concentration of fruit, acid tension and fine minerality. Deep scents of yellow apple, honeysuckle, citrus, lemon curd, pear, fennel seed and mountain wild pepper. Layer upon layer of flavour, minerality, graceful bright acidity, deep spice, emerge across the palate. This is a wine of great length and presence.
