Alto Adige sits in Italy's far north, in the Alps near the Austrian border, where German is as commonly spoken as Italian and vineyard sites climb steep, terraced mountainsides. The combination of high altitude and strong sunshine produces whites of unusual precision and aromatic intensity — Gewürztraminer, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco all perform well here — alongside increasingly serious Pinot Noir from cooler, higher sites.

Key grapes: Gewürztraminer, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Noir