Alto Adige Santa Maddalena (Sudtirol St. Magdalener in German) is the title used for wines made under the Alto Adige DOC from vineyards around the northern half of Bolzano town. Santa Maddalena's fragrant, light red wines are widely viewed as among the finest the Trentino-Alto Adige region has to offer. That said, Pinot Noir from the area is now gaining in quality and reputation year on year, and may well overtake Schiava as the region's star grape variety.
The catchment area for this title covers a number of hillside villages in the Adige and Isarco valleys, which converge at Bolzano. Several of these have the right to include their names as part of the DOC title on wine labels, effectively making them official sub-sub-regions of Alto Adige. These are Santa Giustina (Santa Justina in German), Leitago (Leitach), San Pietro (St. Peter), Guncina (Guntscnha), San Giorgio (St. Geogen), Rencio (Rentsch) and Rena (Sand). Any wine made in these communes can also be labeled classico, to indicate their higher quality.
All Alto Adige Santa Maddalena wines are mid-bodied reds made predominantly (at least 85%) from Schiava grapes. Lagrein, the other traditional grape variety of Alto Adige, is permitted to make up the remaining 15%.
