Schiava (aka Vernatsch) is right at home in far northern Italy, where it makes light, pale reds that are refreshing but don't taste like much. The Schiava berries are huge, you see, and the bunches are gigantic, so you get lots of juice but little else. At J. Hofstätter, they counter this by growing grapes on the steep slopes of the Kolbenhof vineyard, where the yields are lower, and the flavours are super concentrated. It's still a light red, but a beautiful, fragrant and pretty wine with flavours of fresh berries, almonds and alpine herbs.

Martin Foradori Hofstätter and his wife, Beatrix, are the fifth-generation custodians of the J. Hofstätter winery in the historic town of Tramin, carefully managing the tricky process of paying homage to the classic styles of the Alto Adige/Südtirol region while giving the wines a more modern feel. Given that Tramin is the birthplace of Gewürztraminer, naturally our fave aromatic white is part of the mix here, along with a plethora of cool textural whites and fragrant reds. Yet Martin and family have a diverse wine business that delivers all sorts of surprises, including some classic Riesling from across the border in Germany, a range of fascinating Pinot from high-altitude plots in southern Trentino and even some rather handy zero alcohol Riesling.