Ready for a word of advice? Get out now and stop at the first wine shop to buy a bottle of Santa Maddalena 2007. You can buy a random bottle of this wine or else trust our own scores (we recommend the latter obviously), but you are certain to find a wine able to give you satisfaction, pleasure and even joy. As you’ll have gathered by now, the tasting of Schiavas from Alto Adige in all their different denominations ((Lago di Caldaro, Santa Maddalena, Alto Adige Meranese, Alto Adige Schiava and so on) went really well. This makes us really happy because we have believed in the potential of these wines for years (and maybe even more than the producers themselves). It is not all rosy though: the denomination Lago di Caldaro (Kalterersee) is absolutely ubiquitous in its markets of reference (Germany, Switzerland and Austria), and generally the Schiava based wines, with their light colour, do not please those eyes that expect dark, black, impenetrable wines. But maybe the wind is changing and the request of “more human” wines together with the (absolutely volatile) rediscovery of the rosé typology, will favour the Schiavas to some extent.
 Vintage 2007 was particularly favourable for this grape variety, specially for Santa Maddalenas. The aromas are textbook, but neater and more clear cut than in the past. They are fresh wines, really well balanced and with an almost crispy sapidity. A body slightly overdone, but all in all we awarded 4 times the 4 stars and many 3 stars out of 20 tasted wines. Good but not as much are the Lago di Caldaro: they seem to have lost in finesse and depth what they achieved in terms of structure. The generic Schiavas are generally good, while some of the Meranese’s wines are indeed very interesting. This tasting made us very happy. Specially so if we consider some of the doubts we expressed in the past. Dear producers, now you have no more excuses, so stop hiding behind the fear of producing an unfashionable wine. Please try also to realize that the worst for the Schiava is over. Try to make some clarity amongst typologies and denominations, because with “Scelto, Classico, Superiore, Alto Adige and not Alto Adige, Schiava Gentile, Nobile, Grigia” and so on, you risk of loosing yourselves and the customers.
Last but not least: if you think that a Schiava (maybe a Santa Maddalena) cannot be matched to important dishes, then you need to think again. A wonderful roasted lamb with potatoes enjoyed after the tasting (risking to pass out for the heat) was simply perfect in pairing with the above wine.