Concierge Blog
Klausen – The 17th edition of the chestnut weeks in the Eisack valley, organised by the HGV (hotel and inn-keepers association), has been opened at the Pfarrplatz in Klausen. Starting October 20th until November 4th, 15 inns and restaurants centre their culinary offer around the chestnut.
„The participating inns reinvent themselves year after year to serve their guests creative chestnut dishes”, says Helmut Tauber, chairman of the Eisack valley HGV and the organisation committee of the chestnut weeks. Maria Gasser, mayor of Klausen: “I would like to thank the innkeepers and the HGV-Eisack valley, for promoting our chestnuts time and time again.”
Opening in Klausen
15 participating inns and restaurants presented their culinary innovations and invited us to try. The two aspiring chefs Jasmin Ruedl from the restaurant “Ansitz zum Steinbock” and Alex Faltner from the Panorama-Wellness-Hotel “Feldthurnerhof” prepared two exquisite chestnut dishes live, that were then judged by a jury. Visitors had the opportunity to try the “original Eisack valley chestnut cake”, supplied by the confectionery Gasser in Lüsen. In its eighth edition the golden chestnut award went to the chestnut associations of Eisack, Vinschgau and the Keschtenriggl association, for their contributions.
Supporting programme
Next to culinary pleasures, all friends of nature and culture can experience exciting offers by the local tourist associations, like organised hikes, concerts, markets, parties and lots more that warrant a trip to the Eisack valley.
The chestnut plays a major role at the “Keschtnweg”. The idyllic hike from Neustift to Brixen, Feldthurns, Klausen, Villanders, Barbian and Ritten to Bolzano and gives you the opportunity to enjoy the autumn landscape and chestnut trees.
Participating Inns and Restaurants
Hotel Restaurant Pacher, Neustift, Tel. 0472 836 570
Restaurant Der Traubenwirt, Brixen, Tel. 0472 836 552
Gasthof Sunnegg, Brixen, Tel. 0472 834 760
Restaurant Künstlerstübele Finsterwirt, Brixen, Tel. 0472 835 343
Südtiroler Gasthaus Fink, Brixen, Tel. 0472 834 883
Alpenrose’s Dining & Living, Pinzagen/Brixen, Tel. 0472 832 191
Bauern- und Gasthof Kircherhof, Albeins/Brixen, Tel. 0472 851 005
Panorama-Wellness-Hotel Feldthurnerhof, Feldthurns, Tel. 0472 855 333
Hotel Restaurant Taubers Unterwirt, Feldthurns, Tel. 0472 855 225
Hotel Restaurant Oberwirt, Feldthurns, Tel. 0472 855 212
Gasthof Wöhrmaurer, Feldthurns, Tel. 0472 855 301
Gasthof Walther von der Vogelweide, Klausen, Tel. 0472 847 369
Gasthof Ansitz Fonteklaus, Lajen-Klausen, Tel. 0471 655 654
Restaurant Ansitz zum Steinbock, Villanders, Tel. 0472 843 111
Gasthof Rösslwirt, Barbian, Tel. 0471 654 188
With the Kapriol gin bottle almost empty, and all the prosecco gone. Yours truly, had the perfect excuse to get in the truck and drive towards the home of Prosecco.
First stop, the bar “Al Solito Posto”, (the usual place), perfect time for a glass of Prosecco, of course, only for the co-pilot.
By being late to the loading times, (8.00-12.00 and 14.00-18.00), we arrived at 12.30, we had the chance to try the kitchen of "Al Salisà“: modern dishes from sushi to game, in a rustic environment with a terrace and wooden sofas.
A bit of shopping in the city later, we returned to a truck filled with prosecco.
And so, we returned home, with a fridge filled to the brim with prosecco and lots of motivation.
Stay tuned!
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
As you might recall, the concierge and his following had the possibility to visit the seat of the Anheuser-Busch InBev brewery in Munich on the 27th of September 2017
Klaus, friend and long-time guest at the Sparerhof, invited us for a visit during the Oktoberfest.
Klaus and his group of co-workers decided to visit South Tyrol for their special leave this year, choosing between Lisbon, Vienna, London and South Tyrol, they made the right decision, a landslide victory for South Tyrol.
Thank you Klaus! You and your team have impeccable taste. To surprise the group, we organised a tour of beautiful Kaltern and hike along the wine road with a panoramic view of the lake.
Walther, partner at the vineyard Kaltern had the stove ready and conveniently fired, for us to try fresh polenta. Walther stands for a true South Tyrolean, pure, direct and able to hold one’s drink.
A true inhabitant of Kaltern, the Schiava stronghold of South Tyrol, Walther prepares a mean polenta.
Vineyards and orchards as far as the eye can see, but no corn. In realty the main ingredient for polenta was only cultivated for a, relatively speaking, brief amount of time in our valleys (300 years). With farmers soon realising that apples and fruit make for a more profitable crop and soon apple trees overgrew the landscape and exiled corn.
Polenta made in Kaltern
Even with the vanishing of corn, polenta made from the yellow flour remained in the everyday South Tyrolean kitchen. Accompanying anything from goulash, to sausages and cheese to barley coffee, traditionally eaten during the grape harvest.
Some restaurants offer polenta gnocchi, rosticciata with polenta and vegetables, it seems to go with everything, fish and meat alike. Wein.Kaltern reintroduced the original polenta from Kaltern, “kalterer plent”, cultivated on some hills in the area, and serve it together with a glass of Lago di Caldaro.
The taste of the Kaltern’s hills and lake, not only on your plate but also in your glass!
Together with our polenta we had the inimitable “Hauswurst”
The wines:
Vial Pinot Bianco
“Echoes of the sea trapped in the vineyard’s limestone soil return on the savoury-edged back palate.”
Leuchtenburg Schiava Kalterersse Classico Superiore.
“The spirit of place and a sense of provenance. Lake Kaltern, with all its grace, power, beauty, austerity and a panoramic view of Alto Adige.”
A big thank you to Walther, for your hospitality and kindness.
picts © K. Brugger
With 22.000 bottles of wine a year, the vinery Abraham can’t really be considered one of the biggest in South Tyrol. But not everything is always as it seems.
Founded 10 years ago by the winemakers Marlies and Martin Abraham, they are now considered among the most innovative and most interesting viniculturalists in South Tyrol. Winemakers from near and far visit their vineyard in Appiano, to be convinced by their philosophy and their quality standards.
It all started like most clever ideas do: with a bottle of wine. After countless deliberations and wine tastings, Marlies and Martin decided to further their ambitious winemaking tradition.
After taking a small loan, they expanded their winecellar and stocked their first wines. Today, after ten years, the family holds still true to their values and continues to expand, step by step.
The repertoire of the vinery includes pinot bianco, gewuerztraminer, vernatsch, pinot nero and sauvignon. But don’t expect the usual characteristics od south Tyrolean wine behind these varieties. These wines are characterised by their complexity, elegance and persistence.
In and around Appiano grow high quality grapes in the chalk and porphyry hillsides. The Terroir in Appiano itself couldn’t be more different. The lowest vineyard can be found on 400 meters , while the highest lies 700 meters above sea level. Tempetature and climate couldn’t be more different, which can be seen in the wines.
Small, but high calibre, these words describe the winery Abraham perfectly. A winery that you should definitely be on the lookout for.
Stay tuned....
picts © nr 8 T. Saito
