In 1907, a love for wine and their dedication to winegrowing prompted thirty-six farmers from St. Pauls, Missian, Eppan-Berg and Unterrain to take a joint step towards the future by founding the Kellerei St. Pauls wine cooperative.
Flexibility was paramount in the first years of the cooperative as, until the completion of the new building, the grape harvest would be stored with private winegrowers and in the rented cellar space of the “Schwarzer Adler” inn. The founders finally managed to obtain two superimposed cellars, a fermenting cellar and a workroom, an office and an apartment for the use of the cellar master. Within a few years, a further thirty members joined the pioneers in St. Pauls, and the facilities were equipped with the latest machinery. Dedication and passion were joined by quality as a new guiding principle. The following decades saw an increase in membership and the number of grapes delivered and stored.
Since the middle of the 1960s, grapes have been introduced into vats or tubs in the wine cellar without mashing to permit more delicate processing. Previously the usual process had been to tread the grapes in the vineyards bare feet.
In the following years, new and updated working equipment, as well as the enlargement of the wine cellar buildings, allowed for constant further development and increased production, always with the strictest observance of quality, right until today. As a result, this cooperative winemaking community today has over 200 farming members and at least two dozen employees, who collectively live their love for wine daily.
Information about Kellerei St. Pauls