The Cantina Terlan is one of the great wineries in the world and arguably Italy's finest white wine producer. The vines grow on the steep terraces and for some quirky reason the whites produced here have such a high acidity quotient that they age extremely well and never oxidise.

Terlaner Nova Domus Cantina Terlano  I was reminded this week just how great this wine is by one of our customers who was raving about it.   Although he was not sure about the blend  of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc (which he thought might stand awkwardly apart, or worse, just make a messy fudge of flavour) far from it, he thought this was what made it so fascinating and in his words, "one of the best white wines he has ever tasted".  It is no surprise that this blend danced rather than crashed.   The Terlan Co-operative in the Alto Adige has been making the Nova Domus blend since the 1930s. Their USP is the long ageing on lees which is done in horizontal stainless steel tanks specially designed for them.  The large volume of the wine is kept in contact with the yeast lees which provides a fantastic other dimension, whilst maintaining the freshness and vitality of the fruit.  The region also has a peculiar mineralilty and the wines have an acidic structure that makes even Sauvignon blanc long lived.  This minerality is enhanced from the ageing on lees.  The resulting wines are truly elegant, full-bodied, dry, with a well balanced acidity and slightly salty on the palate, harmonious.  Other treasures from Terlan are their fabulous Quartz Sauvignon Blanc and the Vorberg Pinot Blanc Vorberg Riserva.  Both are out of the ordinary with purity and finesse:   Quartz Sauvignon named after the Quartz stone running through the vineyards is a revelation for most of our Sauvignon Blanc customers.    Pinot Bianco is really the backbone of the winery and the Pinot Bianco Vorberg  is the star.   The vineyards are situated between 500-900 metres and are mainly on slate and quartz soils.   Aged in 50 hectolitre oak barrels gives a depth to the fruit. Vorberg drinks better given 2 or 3 years in bottle.       The Pinot Grigio and Terlaner classico both offer a good value intro to Terlan wines which are a must try.