HISTORY

The family of the Rottensteiner’s is one of the most ancient families of South Tyrol and its connections to the wine lasts for many generations. This shows also the family name, which derives from the red coloured rock of the montains around Bolzano, the porphyry.

The closer history of the Cantina Vini Hans Rottensteiner S.r.l. began between the two World Wars, when Hans Rottensteiner, a son of the farmer of “Obermoser-Hof” in St. Magdalena, married a daughter of the owner of the “Gogischer-Hof” named Magdalena. Along to the traditional rules in leaving the farms to the descendants, both “Obermoser-Hof” and “Gogischer-Hof” passed to the first born sons, and the young couple Hans and Magdalena was forced to leave the paternal yard. So they bought the “Reiter-Hof” in St. Peter, the neighbour village of St. Magdalena, and began with the vine growing. Soon Hans made his first experiences in the wine production with his own grapes, sold at the own restaurant. World War II began, and Hans had the luck not to have to engage, but to carry out his military service at the “Südtiroler Ordnungsdienst”, a kind of military police. So he hadn’t to leave his farm and could continue to work in his restaurant. Later he would tell proudly, that his wine wasn’t popular only among the people of the place, but also among the American soldiers who came in at the end of the war.

Around 1950 Hans dared the large step and bought a property in the close Gries, on the other bank of Talfer River, and began with the building of a winery. In 1956 finally came the great moment, and the winery Cantina Vini Hans Rottensteiner S.r.l. began its activity. Hans left his farm in St. Peter to his first born son Johann and dedicated himself, together with his other son, Toni Rottensteiner, to the winery. Toni, who had studied Viticulture and Oenology in Wädenswil near Zurich in Switzerland, managed the technical part of the activity since the beginning, while the commercial part passed to him step by step.

Soon after the foundation of the company, the Rottensteiner’s met a man who should have a strong influence on the winery: Georg Vogel, a Swiss importer of South Tyrolean and Trentino wines, who would buy the whole production of the young winery. Hans and Tony were careful enough not to leave the domestic market at all, although this Switzerland became the most important market of Rottensteiner wines. The demand was very high, the profit because of the strong Swiss Franc too, and so after a short time the extension of the cellars was begun, as well as the purchase of grapes from winegrowers in and around Bolzano. Gradually Cantina Vini Hans Rottensteiner became one of the important companies in the world of South Tyrolean wines. Also the own domain on vineyards was extended: the Hofmannhof was bought, as well as some other vineyards in and around Bolzano. In 1967 Toni married Rosa Pichler, the first born daughter of Kristplonerhof in Guncina near Bolzano. In this way also this farm came into family’s property.

At the beginning of the 1980’s – in the meantime Hans had transferred the whole conduction of the company to his son – Toni Rottensteiner put the main importance of his activity to the production of high quality bottled wines, specially St. Magdalener, but also Lagrein, Pinot Blanc and most of the other South Tyrolean varieties. To make it short: he was successful also with this and reached the reasonable number of 400,000 bottles, which were sold not only in South Tyrol, but in whole Italy, in Germany, in Austria and – of course – in Switzerland. Hans Rottensteiner died in 2001, only some months after his grandchild and Toni’s son Hannes had entered into the company. So the winery went into its third generation. Hannes had studied Viticulture and Oenology in San Michele all’Adige and in Geisenheim (Germany).