Lago di Caldaro (Kalterersee to Alto Adige's many German speakers) is a DOC of the Trentino-Alto Adige wine region in far northern Italy. Created in 1970, it was the region's very first DOC title, followed shortly afterwards by Trentino's Teroldego Rotaliano. The title is often shortened to just Caldaro (Kalterer).
Although named after a lake which lies entirely within Alto Adige, the Lago di Caldaro DOC is shared between the region's two autonomous provinces, Trentino and Alto Adige (managed from their respective centers Trento and Bolzano), and covers more than 20 communes.
The vast majority of the vineyards which produce wines under the DOC are located on the lower slopes of the Adige valley. The alpine peaks above rise dramatically from the valley floor to a height of more than 5000ft (1525m), making the land on either side of the valley inhospitable to vines. This topography is typical of Trentino-Alto Adige and is largely to thank for the low rainfall here. With such an effective weather buffer as the Central Eastern Alps, it is no wonder that the climate in the valleys here is considered so fine, attracting large numbers of tourists every summer.
Lago di Caldaro is seen by many as one of the Trentino-Alto Adige's finest reds. It is made almost entirely from the region's indigenous Schiava grape (the Grossa, Gentile and Grigia sub-varieties are all included), although an addition of Lagrein and/or Pinot Nero is permitted up to a maximum of 15%.
In addition to the standard Lago di Caldaro, there are superiore and classico versions and a sweet scelto (Auslese in German) wine made from late-harvested bunches of grapes. The classico zone here is limited to the communes of Caldaro, Appiano, Termeno, Cortaccia, Vadena, Egna, Montagna, Ora and Bronzolo. The superiore statement is earned only by those wines made from fully ripe grapes, a fact reflected in the extra 0.5% alcohol they have over the standard wines.
