Castel Englar stands in a hilly position at an altitude of between 450 and 500 meters. Built in Gothic style it stands in an area particularly suited to viticulture. The particular climatic conditions and the calcareous soil structure allow the production of high quality wines.
The estate, owned by the Khuen-Belasi family, covers a total area of 13 hectares of which 7 are vineyards. Since 1640, when the family buys the vineyards, the grapes are vinified on their own. From 1930 instead they are delivered to a local cooperative. In 2012, on the other hand, the important step is the decision to restart production on one’s own and this leads, in 2014, to the bottling of the first vintage branded Englar.
Englar wines are made exclusively with grapes from these very vineyards and are processed and bottled directly on the estate.
The organically processed grapes are harvested in such a way that there is a harmonious balance between ripeness and acidity and that no additives other than sulfur need to be added in the cellar. This is the perfect basis to develop puristic and authentic wines. Thanks to generous wood construction and long yeast contact times, we create long-lasting and characteristic wines.
The cellar is equipped with state-of-the-art technical facilities. The cellar’s current capacity is 40,000 bottles and will increase year by year.
Castel Englar goal is excellent wines; and these require the balanced growth of grapevines in a healthy environment, with the right grape varieties matched the soil texture and microclimate and the right choice of trellising. Englar attach great importance to natural methods of grape cultivation and employ careful methods to achieve the distinctive character of each type of wine they produce. They have consciously worked to reduce the yield per hectare of grapes in order to ensure the harvest of high-quality grapes.
In 2020, Castel Englar Winery has been recognized and awarded SIX GOLD Medal Awards and THREE SILVER Medal Awards by Business News Japan Awards 2020.
Pinot Blanc 2018, DOC, Alto Adige, Italy
Awarded Gold by Business News Japan
The classic of our region and a wonderful all-rounder. Fresh and invigorating with an aromatic fragrance. A delicate summer wine with charm.
Pinot Blanc Riserva 2017, DOC, Alto Adige, Italy
Awarded Gold by Business News Japan
The wine has a straw yellow and a light green shimmer, a clean fruity nose of apricot and peach, a light creamy softness and a mineral finesse, a elegant and concentrated finish.
Riesling 2018, DOC, Alto Adige, Italy
Awarded Gold by Business News Japan
Very fruity nose, nuances of apricot and peach,fresh minerality with good acidity and a lively finish.
Sauvignon Blanc, 2018, DOC, Alto Adige, Italy
Awarded Gold by Business News Japan
A yellow-green lively and expressive Sauvignon with soft and fruity aromas, nose of fresh hay and grasses, hints of elder flowers, green fruits and black currant, distinct acidity with smooth body.
Vernatsch -R- 2016, DOC, Alto Adige, Italy
Awarded Gold by Business News Japan
It is an extraordinary Vernatsch, mild and fruity and a well balanced tannine, with a delicious almondy aftertaste, very rare: Vernatsch RISERVA.
The red wine of our home country as we love it. Silky tannins and a strong body, fresh and drinkable with low alcohol. Almost always fits, even slightly chilled in summer.
Pinot Noir Riserva 2016, DOC, Alto Adige, Italy
Awarded Gold by Business News Japan
It is a fine and sensual red wine with a bright ruby-red colour, pleasant fullness and silky elegance, well balanced fruit and body with fine tannins, very good aging potential.
Gewürztraminer 2017, IGT, Orange Wine, Alto Adige, Italy
Awarded Silver by Business News Japan
The powerful variant of our Gewürztraminer. The pink berry bowls are reflected in the wine. A bewitching scent of tropical fruits and a spice with hints of the Orient
Pinot Noir 2017, DOC, Alto Adige, Italy
Awarded Silver by Business News Japan
Pinot Noir, the red flagship of our company, demands a lot of attention in viticulture and in the cellar, brings excellent results on the right soil and cool climate.
Passito 2016, IGT, Late Harvest. Alto Adige, Italy
Awarded Silver by Business News Japan
Extremely rich sweet wine, golden amber-colored, concentrated flavour, intense aromas of dried and candied fruits, honey, apricot and roses, well balanced acidity with a concentrated and pleasantly sweet finish. A long-lived wine that will continue to evolve and gain additional complexity and depth of color for years.
Interview of Mr. Johannes count Khuen-Belasi – Owner
Question 1: Do you already export to Japan ? If yes, where ? If no, what type of importers & distributors are you looking for in Japan ?
Answer : We are not yet exporting to Japan, but we very much hope to find importers here who are able to understand and appreciate the effort we put in each day to make the best wine, no matter the cost.
Question 2: What is the most unique and qualitative part of your products, different from competitors ?
Answer : South Tyrol in Italy has a great winegrowing tradition, which dates back more than 2,000 years. The same goes for our property. At Englar Castle (built in 1450, our family has now lived here for 400 years) we have always grown and produced wine. This tradition is a big responsibility for us and that is why we take maximum care of every phase of winemaking. Every phase, from pruning to harvesting, is done manually at Englar. This can mean that we pass a vine more than 10 times a year. For the harvest alone, we usually pass every vine two or three times, making sure we only harvest the ripest grapes of the highest quality each time. We couldn’t do all of this day by day if we
weren’t convinced that there are people out there who appreciate our efforts and who are willing to go on this journey with us.
Question 3: When did you start to export your brand worldwide, and what is your development plan for the next years ?
Answer : We started exporting wine only six year ago. For five years now, we have a new wine cellar in the centre of our property, which has served us well and enabled us to make more wine, while maintaining our high quality standards. In the next few years, we plan to focus our assortment on fever wines with therefore even higher quality and we hope to make our wine an established name within the community of wine enthusiasts.
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