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5218 Lawton Avenue
Oakland, CA 94114

510-654-9159

Oliver McCrum Wines has been importing small production Italian wine and distributing to fine retail and restaurant establishes throughout California since 1994. Over time, our portfolio of producers has steadily grown to over 45 producers from 15 different regions of Italy. We look for typical Italian wines with clarity and freshness, usually made from indigenous Italian grape varieties using clean, transparent winemaking techniques and no obvious use of oak. 

Blog

2022 Whites from Alto Adige's Kuenhof Are Electric

Michele Boscia

“Easily the best vintage of the Sylvaner I've ever tasted."

That's what Lauren Reuthinger from our California sales team said after tasting through the 2022 Kuenhof releases this past week, and she wasn’t alone. Our entire company is buzzing right now after sampling the Riesling and Veltliner wines as well.

With vineyards in Italy's Alto Adige region at altitudes between 1800 to 2900 feet, the freshness and vibrancy of Kuenhof’s white wines have always been striking, but with a strong vintage like 2022 the precision is even more impressive. Owned by Peter and Brigitte Pliger, the estate is one of the best for white wines in all of Italy with steep, stony vineyards in the Val d'Isarco (or Eisacktal), not far from the border with Austria.

Their Sylvaner, Veltliner and Riesling vines are all farmed organically, and their wines show an almost electric mineral character. If the duty of a great wine is to be distinctive, these wines stand out like beacons: great terroir, careful grape-growing, and brilliant winemaking.

Renowned critic James Suckling famously wrote of the 2020 vintage: “This Alpine masterpiece redefines what Gruner Veltliner can be!” His praise, along with accolades from other writers, have continued with the recent 2022 releases. Vinous critic Eric Guido agrees with our co-worker Lauren as to the quality of the 2022 Sylvaner, recently opining: “It's soft and supple with a balanced inner sweetness and candied lime that embellishes its crisp orchard fruits.”

If you're a fan of clean, racy, and aromatic white wines, you need to try these new Kuenhof expressions. The Riesling, Veltliner and Sylvaner are just hitting the market now and everyone seems to agree: they’re utterly fantastic.

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