Alois Lageder

A successful model for biodynamic farming was introduced to Italy thanks in large measure to Alois Lageder and his forward-thinking family. He was not the first to practice this philosophy, but Alois Lageder showed that biodynamics could be scalable and applied across 55 hectares of vines and a network of farming partners. His carefully studied efforts started with research in the 1990s, and by 2004, he had completely abandoned conventional agriculture, converting entirely to a farming method that seeks a holistic balance between humans, plants, animals and the cosmos. It would be impossible to overstate the influence of Alois Lageder. His courage and dedication made an impact across Italian wine, inspiring dozens or perhaps hundreds of vintners to follow suit. His annual wine festival, Summa, gives a broad platform to organic and biodynamic winemakers from Italy and other nations. Alois Lageder in Alto Adige is one of three vintners in Italy (from the north, center and south of the country, respectively) to earn our Robert Parker Green Emblem Award. From the Greek “bios” meaning life and “dinamikòs” for movement, the Lageder method is based on the idea that “a farm is an enclosed microcosm” and represents a classic interpretation of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy. Balance invigorates nature and creates a cyclic ecosystem that needs to be reinterpreted with each growing season. Biodynamic preparations, cow horns and homeopathic infusions are used instead of chemicals. Biodiversity is promoted, and biodynamic fertilizers are made with animal manure and a compost of nettles, dandelion, horsetail, valerian, chamomile and oak bark. The Lageder family constructed a circular, gravity-flow winery in 1995 using no synthetic building materials. The net zero carbon cellars are cooled down by air that is siphoned off a cold rock wall, and geothermal plumps are used to heat water. Classic music plays softly in the barrel room, and 53 panels depicting the cosmos are placed in the winery and throughout the property to recall the correct positions of the moon and the planets during various phases of winemaking.

Based in Magrè, Alto Adige with the jagged peaks of the snow-capped Dolomites as a stunning backdrop, the Lageder family has made wine for six generations. The Alois Lageder estate was founded in 1823 and handed down to a son, always named Alois, in each successive generation. Alois Lageder’s son Alois Clemens Lageder manages the biodynamic winery and vineyards today. The certified-organic restaurant Alois Lageder Paradeis sources seasonal produce from the vegetable garden, and an active cultural calendar brings musicians and artists to exhibit at the property. Alois Lageder organizes a green wine event called Summa at the Casòn Hirschprunn palace. Organic and biodynamic producers from Italy and abroad are invited to pour their wines at this annual wine festival, and all proceeds from ticket sales are donated to charity.