Elena Walch’s hospitality

Elena Walch is a prominent South Tyrolean family-owned winery with international success. You can visit, taste and eat something at both Ringberg Castle in Kaltern and in Tramin, where the winery's headquarters and the famous Kastelaz vineyard are located.

When architect Elena married the fourth-generation heir to the historic Walch winemaking family in Tramin in the 1980s, she did not yet know what great changes she would bring to the world of South Tyrolean wine. With commitment and passion, he focused on producing a new, outstanding quality. The best terroir wines from her two single vineyards, namely Castel Ringberg in Kaltern and Kastelaz in Tramin, have strongly elevated the region's quality standards: today, Elena Walch's wines are present in the Italian and international wine elite.

Recently the Castel Ringberg and Kastelaz vineyards were included in the exclusive list of vineyards eligible for the "vineyard" designation; this term guarantees the provenance of the wines, further emphasizing Elena Walch's philosophy regarding terroir wines. Sustainable work in the vineyard and cellar is a cornerstone of the Walch family's philosophy. Today Elena and her two daughters Julia and Karoline work enthusiastically to ensure that their wines are on the world's best wine lists.

The Castel Ringberg vineyard on the Strada del Vino, cradle of some of Italy's most award-winning wines, represents Elena Walch's most important estate. At the heart of the roughly 20 hectares of vineyards overlooking Lake Kaltern stands the eponymous Renaissance castle, erected by a branch of the Habsburg dynasty in 1620. Today, the castle cellar houses the barriques in which the fine wines are aged, after the grapes are crushed at the winery located on the main site in Tramin. 

Ringberg Castle is open to the public and in its quaint surroundings brings together a barrique cellar, a wine store, a tavern and offers guided tours of the adjacent vineyards with wine tasting. Enjoy the idyll of this place surrounded by nature and discover the wines that are born here.

In Termeno, on the other hand, where the estate's other cru, Kastelaz, and the company headquarters are located, is the bistro Le Verre Capricieux (The Capricious Glass), located in the park of the wine estate in the center of town. Framed by a beautiful garden, the grounds of the former Jesuit convent, this is an ideal place to taste the estate's wines and linger. The wines can be accompanied by small delicacies to be enjoyed in the shade of the trees in an absolutely magical atmosphere. The building mainly jumps out at the eye to those coming from the town square. The long white surface of the roof follows the crossroads of a road, and is immersed in a reality of urban fabric. The roof rests lightly on the boundary wall, which is made of porphyry from the Sarntal valley and cut in the footings. "Stone" with its multiple facets is the building's common thread: it is found repurposed as the Bistrot's interior plaster and continues outside bordering the green carpet of grass.

Built in 2011 by young Gardena architect David Stuflesser, this timeless, modern bistro has received praise from journalists and patrons alike. The Bistro is characterized by a great deal of architectural independence, which nevertheless fits tastefully into the historic landscape of the village and the estate itself, creating an ideal blend of old and new.

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