Discover the Cantina Tramin brand: here is our interview.

The Cantina Tramin is one of the most important cooperative wineries in South Tyrol, a region that excellently combines tradition and quality, offering a line of wines that represents the utmost excellence. The company has roots dating back to the 19th century: it was founded in 1898 by Christian Schrott, the parish priest of Termeno, who decided to create this form of enterprise together with some local grape growers. Thanks to the strength of this union, Cantina Tramin has become one of the most recognized cooperatives in the world, where sharing is the true essence of the project. Today, it embraces 300 small owners who cultivate an area of 260 hectares with great respect, utmost care, and close contact with Willi Stürz, who has been with the company since 1995 and was named the best winemaker in Italy in 2004.

Cantina Tramin is based on the collaboration of 160 families working together to unveil the wonder of the region's aromas with each tasting. The area surrounding Termeno and Lake Caldaro is a beautiful region where its particular microclimate contributes to creating wines with distinctive varietal character, always clear and bright personality.
As of today, Cantina Tramin produces an average of 1.9 million bottles per year, with 70% destined for the national market and the remaining 30% for foreign markets.

We appreciate these realities: they are true treasures embedded in our peninsula among seas and mountains and in the most remote paths of villages and countryside. We do not just focus on enjoying their products; we want to discover more closely the protagonists of this brand. That's why we sent some questions to the people managing communication with us.

Stay with us to learn about the Cantina Tramin: read the answers!
 

• Who are we talking to?
  Wolfgang Klotz, sales director.
   
• Is the company family-run? In what year was the company founded, and who was the founder?
  Cantina Tramin is a cooperative, founded over 120 years ago, in 1898, by the parish priest of the small village of Termeno, in German named Tramin. 
   
• Who was the founder and what was his background or work and professional field if different from the current one?
  Cantina Tramin was founded by the village priest, Christian Schrott, who was a very forward-thinking person, so much so that he was later elected as a member of the Parliament in Vienna.
   
• What is the real reason or triggering fact behind the birth of this company and when did it happen?
  Schrott founded the cooperative back in 1898 with the intention of uniting the forces of small producers in Termeno in order to gain more leverage against wine merchants and thus obtain a fairer price for their grapes.
   
• What is your relationship with the land of origin and its typicity? And why do you want to tell its story through your products?
  Our cooperative gathers 300 small producers who have a very close bond with their vineyards, which are often family-owned for many generations. Our products aim to tell the commitment, tenacity, and passion of our members and are a reflection of the landscape that surrounds us.
   
• What was the first product you created?
  Cantina Tramin began selling bottled wine in the 1950s, primarily Schiava, while towards the end of the 1980s, during the first promotional initiative for winemaking quality in the winery's history, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Grigio were chosen to demonstrate the land's highest vocation, while for the reds, the selected varieties were Lagrein, Pinot Noir, and Schiava. Today, this role also includes Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon. 
   
• What is the product that you now consider your "flagship"?
  Our flagship product is definitely Epokale Gewürztraminer, which has been awarded 100 points by Wine Advocate of Robert Parker for its outstanding value. This recognition, awarded for the first time to an Italian white wine, and moreover from South Tyrol, has made history not only for Cantina Tramin but for all of Italian winemaking. It is a recognition of which we are very proud, and it has spotlighted our winery in the international wine scene.
   
• And what is the product that throughout the entire history of the company has most carried the beating heart, philosophy, and soul of the company itself?
  The product that most embodies Cantina Tramin is Nussbaumer Gewürztraminer, the most awarded Gewürztraminer in Italy, which boasts having won the prestigious 3 glasses prize from Gambero Rosso twenty consecutive times, in addition to many other awards. 
   
• Let's talk about today: how much has the company grown since its founding? Can we have some numbers?
  When it was founded, our winery was the social winery of only the producers of Termeno. Then, in 1971, our winery merged with the social winery of Egna, and to date, our 300 members work a substantial 260 hectares for a total production of 1.8 million bottles. 
   
• At this moment: more tradition or more innovation?
  Cantina Tramin is undoubtedly a company focused on innovation, as we are constantly seeking excellence by utilizing the tools offered by innovation.  
   
• What has been the most significant evolution of the company that has led it to what it is today?
  The most significant evolution was certainly the shift towards quality in the mid-80s when we started to select vineyards within specific micro-zones, reduce yields, plant international varieties to diversify our range, and produce increasingly refined wines of superior quality. Subsequently, at the dawn of the new century, we made technical investments that allowed us to process the grapes more delicately to preserve their exceptional qualities until bottling. Finally, in 2010, we also evolved in terms of structure: for the new headquarters, an innovative design was chosen that reflects the company's philosophy, with streamlined working processes and eco-friendly consumption of water and energy, aimed at energy savings. 
   
• Talking about the future: what tomorrow awaits the company? Are there any changes or new evolutionary processes planned?
  Firstly, viticulture is crucial. In order to promote the enological quality of Cantina Tramin wines, we have classified the areas, assigning the grape varieties capable of developing their maximum potential to each. The second step was a clonal and mass selection of our old Gewürztraminer, Lagrein, and Schiava vineyards. We have learned to understand the needs of each grape variety, and in the future, it will be essential to deepen this knowledge down to the last detail to achieve wines with the maximum characteristics of the territory that make a wine unmistakable.
   
• Are you planning to create new products?
  Shortly, we will launch a new product, specifically a single-varietal white wine from the classic superior line, but we don’t want to reveal too much at this point.
   
• Having focused on Spaghetti & Mandolino, how important is online sales for you, what has your relationship been with this sales channel in the past and how do you see it in the future?
  We are present on multiple online sales channels and also have our e-commerce site. During this last year of the pandemic, this channel has grown exponentially, and certainly many will continue to benefit from it even when the situation returns to normal.
   
• Value: what has it been, what is it today, and what will it be in the future for your company?
  Our core value is synergy and collaboration among the individual producers of our cooperative. Their union is the strength of our winery because without their commitment, the first-class raw material that forms the basis of our wines would be lacking.

S&M