The H. Lentsch winery is located in the municipality of Branzoll in the lowlands of the province of Bolzano in the Italian wine-growing region of South Tyrol ( Trentino-Alto Adige region). At first the Lentsch family was mainly engaged in the extraction and distribution of porphyry stones. The traditional wine-growing business was founded in 1882 by the brothers Norbert and Hartmann Lentsch through the purchase of the estate "Adlerhof" and the inn "Zum Schwarzen Adler". Hartmann Lentsch started to press his own wine for the inn. Today, the business is run by the third generation of the Lentsch family according to the company motto "careful handling of nature and its conditions as well as care in the vinification of the wines".
The total estate comprises 35 hectares of orchards and vineyards. The vineyards cover 12.5 hectares of which are vines. The cultivated varieties have undergone a constant process of refinement. In this process, those varieties were selected that were best suited to the sites and soil types. These are the red wine varieties Cabernet Sauvignon (over 50%) Merlot (20%), Lagrein and various Vernatsch varieties (see under Schiava), as well as the white wine varieties Riesling, Goldmuskateller, Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris) and Chardonnay. Natural conditions ensure that the porous, three-layered soil of clay, sand and porphyry stones is evenly aerated. The symbiotic meeting of these earth elements leads to a unique heat storage. Long before the grape harvest, the grapes are fertilized on the vine to achieve balanced ripeness and harmonious growth.
Through selective harvesting only healthy and ripe grapes are processed. The grapes are sorted into different lots. The grapes are then crushed and the grape seeds are separated from the stalks in the most gentle way possible. The white wines are macerated for up to 12 hours at 18 °Celsius with pure yeast and are vinified in the classical way. The red wines undergo alcoholic fermentation in thermoregulated stainless steel tanks and malolactic fermentation in concrete barrels. In the beginning, the mash is pushed under and pumped over to achieve an intensive extraction. They are then matured for up to one year in large wooden caskslarge wooden barrels or French barriquesBarrique . The red wines mature another 12 to 24 months in the bottle. The product range includes various wines from the DOC area of South Tyrol , such as Cabernet Merlot Palestina and Lagrein Morus. Around 85,000 bottles of wine are produced annually. The winery is a member of the Freie Weinbauern SüdtirolsFreie Weinbauern Südtirol.
