The Young Winemaker Bringing New Life to Alto Adige's Mountain Wines
Jan de Weerd - Spoken Wines
This will hide itself!
The Young Winemaker Bringing New Life to Alto Adige's Mountain Wines
"Hi Jan,
Nice to hear from you!
What time are you in our area today?"*
That was Daniel Sigmund's entire reply to my message.
Three short sentences.
Just the kind of genuine response you would expect from someone who was still working in the vineyard when strangers unexpectedly asked if they could stop by.
When we arrived, no one answered our calls. Walking a little farther, I found Daniel's grandfather peacefully dozing on the porch of the old farmhouse. In my very limited German, I managed to understand that Daniel was still working high above us in the vineyard.
A quick phone call, and few minutes later he came walking down the mountain. Boots with dirt from the vineyard. A broad smile on his face.
As he approached us, I couldn't help but smile. Here was a young man chasing a dream his family had never pursued before. There was nothing polished or rehearsed about him. Just an easy smile and the quiet confidence of someone completely at home on these mountainsides. Before we tasted a single wine, I already had a feeling this visit was going to be special.
High Above the Eisack Valley
Most visitors driving through Italy's Alto Adige region stay on the valley floor. They follow the A22 motorway north toward the Brenner Pass, passing vineyards that seem to cling impossibly to the mountainsides as the jagged peaks of the Dolomites rise dramatically overhead.
Few venture up the narrow roads that wind through tiny mountain villages perched hundreds of meters above the valley. One of those villages is Tschötsch, just outside the historic town of Brixen (Bressanone).
Terraced vineyards appeared between forests of chestnut and pine. Stone farmhouses, some dating back centuries, overlooked the Eisack River far below. This is not an easy place to grow grapes. The vineyards are steep—so steep that without terraces the slopes reach more than 50 percent. Everything must be done by hand. And somewhere in these terraced vineyards was Daniel Sigmund. Recommended to us by our friend Leonardo from Monte dei Ragni in Valpolicella, we knew almost nothing about Daniel except one sentence:
"If you're in Alto Adige, you should visit him."
As it turned out, that recommendation led us to one of the most memorable discoveries of our journey through northern Italy.
Terraced vineyards and stone farmhouses dating back centuries overlooking the Eisack River far below.
A Century of Growing Grapes, The First in His Family to Bottle Their Own Wine
Like many families in Alto Adige, Daniel's family has been growing grapes for generations. For nearly a century, those grapes followed the same path. They were carefully farmed on these steep mountain slopes before being delivered to the local cooperative, where both his parents worked and his father served as a winemaker. It is a story repeated throughout Alto Adige, where thousands of small growers cultivate the vineyards while cooperatives transform those grapes into wines.
Daniel fully expected to become part of that tradition. After studying winemaking in Germany, his goal was to become a cooperative winemaker just like his father. But while tasting wines from across Europe, he realized the wines he most enjoyed were different from those being made at home. Without criticizing anyone, he simply said, "I wanted to make our own product." That one decision changed the course of his family's history. In 2021, he took over his mother's vineyards and became the first generation of his family to bottle wine under his own name. Today, he produces just four wines: Silvaner, Riesling, Pinot Noir, and a tiny amount of Portugieser from vines approaching one hundred years of age.
Daniel became the first generation of his family to bottle wine under his own name.
Astonishing Freshness Delivered By The Vineyard
Daniel’s vineyards lie between 620 and more than 800 meters (2,000–2,600 feet) above sea level on steep mountain terraces overlooking the Eisack Valley. Warm sunny days are followed by cool alpine nights that preserve the grapes' natural acidity, while ancient quartz phyllite and granite soils contribute to the elegant mineral character of his wines. Daniel harvests a little earlier than many of his neighbors because, as he explained, freshness is the most important quality he wants to preserve.
That same philosophy continues in the cellar. His Silvaner is gently pressed over many hours before fermenting naturally with native yeasts, allowing each barrel to develop at its own pace. His Pinot Noir matures in neutral oak to soften and harmonize the wine before resting in stainless steel, minimizing oxygen exposure and preserving its vibrant, almost reductive character.
Daniel described his Pinot Noir with a smile: "It's not a very heavy Pinot Noir. It's a very elegant, light Pinot Noir... and it's good like it is because I also drink this wine."
That simple statement explained a lot: Daniel isn't chasing bigger wines, he is pursuing purity, elegance and freshness—qualities that allow these remarkable mountain vineyards to express themselves in every bottle.
When Freshness Stands the Test of Time
As Daniel showed us around his cellar beneath the family's 800-year-old farmhouse, he quietly explained his approach to winemaking. Then he reached for a bottle of Silvaner.
"This bottle has been open for about two weeks," he said almost casually.
I looked at him in disbelief. Surely the wine would be tired, perhaps even oxidized.
Instead, it practically leapt from the glass. The aromas were vibrant, the fruit was beautifully focused, and the finish seemed to go on forever. Had I tasted it blind, I would never have guessed the bottle had been open for two weeks. Then Daniel smiled, reached for another bottle, and quietly added, "This one has been open for about a month." Once again, the wine was remarkably fresh, energetic, and full of life.
I immediately thought of something the renowned biodynamic winemaker Nicolas Joly has often said: truly "living" wines seem to retain their integrity long after the bottle has been opened. Daniel never mentioned biodynamics, nor does he farm that way. But standing in his cellar, tasting wines that seemed almost untouched by time, I couldn't help thinking back to Joly's observation. Whether the explanation lies in Daniel's mountain vineyards, his careful farming, or his patient, low-intervention approach in the cellar, one thing was undeniable: these wines possessed an extraordinary vitality.
For me, that became the defining lesson of our visit. Freshness isn't simply a tasting note. It is the result of countless thoughtful decisions—from vineyard to cellar—that allow a wine to faithfully express where it came from. Daniel Sigmund's wines don't just taste fresh; they tell the story of the mountains that gave them life.
Daniel reminded us that some of the most exciting discoveries in wine are still found where passion quietly outweighs reputation. Please visit Daniel's website to learn more about his wines and where you can get them: https://www.danielsigmund.com/das-weingut
Grapes are gently pressed over many hours before fermenting naturally with native yeasts, allowing each barrel to develop at its own pace.
"I wanted to make our own product."
Daniel Sigmund - Winemaker
July 21, 2026
From Vineyard to Inbox
Subscribe to our newsletter