A Visit to Abbazia di Novacella

Image: Lunch spread at Stiftskeller Kloster Neustift

Before heading to Vinitaly this spring, we visited Abbazia di Novacella (Kloster Neustift in German), a historic monastery and working winery in the northern part of Alto Adige. The visit offered us a full picture of how centuries of tradition and quiet innovation come together to shape the wines we love.

Founded in 1142, Abbazia di Novacella is one of the oldest active monasteries in the world. The Augustinian Canons who still live and work here have maintained a rhythm of agriculture, scholarship and hospitality for over 880 years. Our tour began within the abbey walls, where we visited the monastery’s museum, explored the historic library and walked through the formal gardens, still tended with great care. These quiet spaces offered a rare look into the life and legacy of the monastic community that continues to steward this land.

 

Image: Abbazia di Novacella Museum

From Monastery to Vineyards

Once you pass through the monastery walls, you find yourself surrounded by vineyards. The first block we stepped into was planted with Kerner, a cross between Schiava and Riesling, that thrives in the high-altitude conditions of the Valle Isarco. The cool alpine climate here favours Germanic white varietals like Kerner, Sylvaner and Müller-Thurgau. All of which do particularly well in the area’s light, mineral-rich soils.

Images: Kerner vines just outside the Abbey walls

The soils themselves are a complex mix of schist, dolomite, and granite, sitting atop a mother rock 100 metres below the surface. While ideal for drainage, the porous nature of these soils can cause dry stress in the vines, especially in hot summers. As a result, the estate uses drip irrigation sparingly, only in cases of emergency or to help prevent winter frost damage by keeping soil moisture levels high.

Abbazia di Novacella farms 30 hectares of estate vineyards and works with an additional 70 hectares through long-term relationships with 60 local growers. All grapes are vinified and bottled on-site, with the final wines sold exclusively under the Abbazia di Novacella name. The philosophy is focused and consistent, where each grower is part of a collaborative system that values quality over quantity.

In the Cellar

From the vineyards, we made our way into the cellar, located in what was once a working barn. Until the 1980s, the abbey was home to cattle and apple orchards, and remnants of that agricultural past are still visible in the structure of the building. Today, it houses a modern winemaking facility, where we saw Lagrein and Pinot Nero fermenting in concrete vats, a choice that allows for slow oxygen exchange while preserving freshness and varietal character.

Images: A peek inside and outside the cellar

As we moved through the space, staff were actively at work. Labelling, packing, and preparing shipments, which offered us a glimpse into the everyday operation that keeps the wines moving from this quiet valley to markets across the world.

Keep an eye out on our socials for a video offering an inside look at the cellar and more!

Tasting the Wines

Our visit concluded in the modern tasting room, a bright, welcoming space perched above the cellar. There, we tasted through the range of wines we carry at Cavinona, alongside several special bottlings from the Praepositus line, which represents the estate’s top selections. These wines are precise, age-worthy, and deeply tied to site and vintage, offering an elegant expression of the monastery’s philosophy.

Images: Tasting time!

Following the tasting, we had a traditional South Tyrolean lunch at their on-site café, Stiftskeller Neustift. The meal included a spread of alpine cheeses, dry-aged sausages, speck, and Schüttelbrot, a traditional flat bread. We enjoyed it with a glass of St.Magdalener, a light-bodied red wine made from Schiava with a touch of Lagrein. It was full of bright red fruit, a hint of alpine spice, soft tannins and refreshing acidity, making it the perfect pairing.

We finished with a classic apple strudel, with local apples from the valley. It was a warm, immersive experience that brought together everything we love about visiting producers like this. History, hospitality and a real sense of place.

 

 

Image: Lunch at Stiftskeller Kloster Neustift

Abbazia in Toronto

For those interested in exploring these wines more deeply, Abbazia’s head of Sales and Marketing, Werner Waldboth, will be visiting us in Toronto on June 12 to host a special masterclass. It’s a rare opportunity to experience the wines of Abbazia di Novacella firsthand and hear directly from one of the people behind them.

You can get your ticket at the link here. We hope to see you there!