Thanks to his oenological training, Giorgio Maffei was always fascinated by the process of fermentation. And so he asked himself, since South Tyrol is apple country, why not make something entirely new with apples for a change? This was no sooner said than done. And now, together with his family, Maffei primarily makes two cider varieties bearing the South Tyrolean seal of quality in his small cellar: the sparkling apple wine Iduna and the cider Melino, which is rounded off with raspberries and ginger.

Raw ingredients for the premium beverages come from the three hectares of apple orchards that surround Giorgio Maffei’s farm in Kurtinig/Cortina in the South Tyrolean Unterland valley. The fourth generation of the family has now enthusiastically dedicated itself to growing fruit and wine here. There are currently six different apple varieties growing on the estate: Granny Smith, Braeburn, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and Gala.

“We ferment the juice from the hand-picked apples at low temperatures. This produces the typical fine-bubbled perlage and low alcohol content whilst retaining the fresh, fruity apple flavour”, explains Giorgio Maffei as he describes the most important work process. No sugar or carbonic acid is added at any stage.

The Iduna sparkling wine created here is the result of many years of production trials. “My goal is to bring a traditional, almost forgotten drink back to life as a first-class, innovative product” – such is the vision of Giorgio Maffei. In spite of this, he has no specific ideas of where he sees himself in ten years’ time. “The journey is the destination”, he confidently declares.