HOW IT ALL BEGAN – AND WILL CONTINUE

THOMAS KOHL

My family has lived on the Ritten for generations. We know all about life on the mountain. When I finished my training, I felt it was time to try something new. The question was: How do apples develop up here on the mountain, at almost 1,000 metres above sea level?" But Thomas Kohl first needs to take a break. He leaves home to see the world. Then the big turnabout comes: back to the farm and home where he had seen what makes the world go round, where his character, desires and visions had been shaped.

It is a winding road up to Obsthof Troidner on the Ritten. Bozen is located at 260 metres above sea level Unterinn is a few hundred metres higher, where it is always cooler than down in the valley. "For years no one believed that it would be possible to grow apples up here, says an amused Thomas Kohl. Almost 30 years ago, he and his father started planting apple trees.

At this height, 'mountain apples' is the official terminology. They like the more intensive sunshine and the cool mountain winds in the evening. Until late spring, the view from Thomas Kohl's farm is of snow-covered peaks on the other side of the valley.

Much has happened since the changeover to fruit growing was completed and the young farmer took charge. Above all Thomas Kohl's individual spirit was challenged: Why not do something different, something special, something original? He wants to see which varieties make good mountain apples and starts pressing single-variety juices.

It makes sense to look beyond your own backyard – and down into the valley, which is where the wine grows in South Tyrol. Thomas Kohl looked carefully and saw that grapes and apples have much in common. Who has never climbed an apple tree as a child?

But Thomas Kohl realises that the trees in the orchard should only be so tall that the highest apples can still be picked by an adult. Two or three passes is all it takes to harvest the apples from all the trees between August and October, depending on the variety and the amount of sun they have had. All the apples are picked individually by hand and placed in a basket ready to be taken to the press on the farm.

Thomas Kohl has worked almost everything out himself: Which apple varieties are suitable for single-variety pressing? What must be done to avoid the use of additives? What are the best blends for a cuvée? And more generally: Where do we go from here?

While he is experimenting, blending, tasting and starting over and over again, one thing becomes clear to Thomas Kohl: his determination to create apple juices the world has never seen before. He wants to create his very own class of apple juice.

With the Grand Cru, he presents his two masterpieces: mountain apple juices from the rare varieties Ananasrenette and Wintercalville. With their presentation in a magnum bottle and elegant packaging, he also demonstrates his sense of design. At the same time, he positions his apple juices at a completely new level and in so doing becomes Italy's first apple juice refiner.

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