Trentino

Trentino is an autonomous province of Italy in the country's far north. Trentino is, along with South Tyrol, one of the two provinces making up the region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, which is designated an autonomous region under the constitution. The province is divided into 178 comuni (municipalities). Its capital is the town of Trento, historically known in English as Trent. The province covers an area of more than 6,000 km² (2,300 sq mi), with a total population of about 0.5 million. Trentino is renowned for its mountains, such as the Dolomites, which are part of the Alps.

Etymology

The province is generally known as Trentino. The name derives from Trento, the capital city of the province, which was also known historically as Trent in English. Originally, the term was used by the local population only to refer to the city and its immediate surroundings. Under former Austrian rule, which started in the XIX century (previously Trentino was ruled by the local bishop), the common German name for the region was Südtirol, meaning South Tyrol with reference to its geographic position as the Southern part of Tyrol, Welschtirol or Welschsüdtirol, meaning Italian Tyrol or Italian South Tyrol.

Trentino (disambiguation)

Trentino

South Tyrol wine

The Trentino-South Tyrol/Alto Adige area is an autonomous region located in north-east Italy producing wine in the two autonomous provinces of Trentino and South Tyrol. This Italian wine region is noted for the distinct German and Austrian influences on the wine industry due to the region's long history under the rule of Austria-Hungary and Holy Roman Empires.

Because of its unique history and location within the southern Alps and Dolomites, in this region grows a wide range of grape varieties that are not usually seen in other parts of Italy. These include Müller-Thurgau, Schiava, Lagrein, Sylvaner, Riesling (known locally as Riesling Renano), Gewürztraminer (known locally as Traminer Aromatico) and Blatterle.

Winemaking in the Province of South Tyrol

The name South Tyrol, in Italian Alto Adige, identifies the northern territory of the region that includes the higher (alto) part of the Adige River. Winemaking in South Tyrol has a long tradition: the first evidences date back to the period before the Romans. The South Tyrolean wine-growing area is highly influenced by the Mediterranean climate, which in the Adige valley (Bassa Atesina, Oltradige, Bolzano, Terlano, Burgraviato) arrives up to Merano. This allows a very versatile winemaking, which includes almost all the red grape varieties and a lot of white grape wines. The Val Venosta and the Valle Isarco have a harsher climate and thus they’re specialized in white wines. In South Tyrol there are three indigenous varieties: Schiava, Gewürztraminer and Lagrein.