The viticultural history of Muri-Gries dates back to 1845 when the Benedictine monks, kicked out from the Muri convent in the Swiss canton, decided to move to the ancient monastery of Gries and started to apply their traditional rule “ora et labora” in the convent’s vineyards as well. For a very long time, though, wine production was only destined to the mass and for private consumption in the monastery. The cellar of Muri- Gries opened its doors at the beginning of the 20th century when the first sales of bulk wine crossed the Brenner Pass heading to German-speaking countries. But things have changed since then and today, more than 90% of the production is made up of high quality wines.
The vineyards are located in two different areas: 20 ha are in Bolzano and 10 ha are in the area of Appiano and San Michele. The 20ha in Bolzano are reserved for the production of quality Lagrein and Santa Maddalena. The porphyritic alluvial sediments mixed with gravelly soft soil and the vineyards’ altitudes between 260 and 300 meters are particularly suited for the development of Lagrein, the predominant grape. In addition to this, to the classic areas of Stampfer and San Maurizio are also planted with Lagrein and the area of Kaiserau, at the confluence of the rivers Isarco and Adige, with Lagrein, Pinot Grigio and Moscato Rosa.
The monastery also owns 10 ha of vineyards in the wine-growing municipality of Appiano where gravelly limestone, soils characterized by good permeability, at altitudes from 420 to 600 meters, offers optimal conditions for vine cultivation. In San Michele Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer and the local Schiava predominate, while in the white wine classical area of Schulthaus at Appiano, 6 ha of vineyard are reserved for the cultivation of Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay as well as Pinot Noir.
Walter Bernard has been responsible for the viticulture of the monastery since 1990, following the vines with care and attention from first bud to mature grapes and trying 'to treat them in order to obtain signposting quality of grapes at harvest time' as he says.
Modern winemaking techniques are harmoniously integrated into the ancient walls of the convent. The fermentation cellar as well as the stainless steel barrels for storage is located in the ancient church. Traditional and strict processing methods combine with modern winemaking techniques, and with the help of his collaborators, the cellar master Christian Werth creates the necessary conditions to produce excellent wines.
Finally everything is meticulously overviewed of Dott. Malfer Benno, abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Muri-Gries since 1991.
Muri- Gries is now a classic producer with 85% of production of red wines and 15% of whites. And on top of that, it also has a horticultural production coming from 52 hectares of orchard and a mountain farm in Campitello near San Genesio with 145 acres of fields and forests.
