Let's discover the Tenuta Castel Englar brand: here is our interview

On a hill in the south of the province of Bolzano stands the best-preserved Gothic castle of all l&' South Tyrol. It dominates the surrounding areas, rich in vineyards and orchards. We are talking about Englar Castle and &' Tenuta Castel Englar farm. This enchanted place has been owned by the family of Counts Khuen-Belasi since 1640, just under 400 years old, and is located in Appiano on Strada del Vino, a municipality that is not surprisingly also called “Land of Castles, Lakes and Wines”.
The owners' family has always cultivated vines in the Tyrolean land and has been dedicated to wine production for generations. Today the &' activity is directed by Johannes and Maria Kuhen-Belasi.

The Castel Englar Estate is located in a hilly area, with excellent terrain. Beauty also plays a fundamental role because the landscapes make the estate a suggestive and unforgettable place for anyone who visits it.
The territory at the foot of the hill is exposed to the East and to the South, with elevations between 450 and 550 meters above sea level. The estate covers 13 hectares, of which about 7 are cultivated with vineyards.

The secret of the quality of their products lies precisely in the earth: the gravelly and partially volcanic porphyry calcareous soils and the hilly area with significant temperature changes are the ideal elements for a very valuable viticulture.

We like these realities, these producers of unique, certified and award-winning delicacies: they are real treasures embedded in our Peninsula between seas and mountains and in the most remote streets of villages and countryside. We don't stop to experience only their products, but we want to discover more closely the protagonists of this brand. That's why we sent some questions to those who manage communication with us.

Stay with us and get to know the Castel Englar Estate: read the answers!

• Who are we talking to?
  I'm Johannes c.te Khuen-Belasi, owner.
  
• Is the company family run? For how many generations and from what year exactly?
  The house and vineyards have been owned by the family since 1620.
  
• What year was the company founded and who was the founder? What was the founder's education or what is the work and professional branch from which he came if different from the current one?
  The company was founded in 2014 by Johannes Khuen-Belasi, the landlord is an orthopedic doctor with a professional background.
  
• What is the real reason or the triggering fact behind the birth of this company and when did it happen?
  L&' basic idea was to make optimal use of our vineyards again, with l&' the objective was to combine the collaboration of our hotel with the production of wine.
  
• What is your relationship with the land of origin and its typicality? And why do you want to tell them with your products?
  We are young on the market and yet strong in centuries-old wisdom in the field of wine.
  
• What was the first product you created?
  In 2014 we created Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Schiava.
  
• What is the product that today, on the other hand, do you consider “top”?
  Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir.
  
• And what is the product that in the entire history of the company has most carried with it the beating heart, philosophy and soul of the company itself?
  Chardonnay.
  
• Let's talk about today: how big has the company grown since its inception? Can we get some numbers?
  We started in 2014 with two hectares and 10,000 bottles produced, today we work with 10 hectares.
  
• Right now: more tradition or more innovation?
  For us, it is essential to make the most of our terroir and to give the wine the right time, that is, what it takes so that it can express itself at its best.
  
• What was the most important evolution of the company to get it to what it is today?
  Cantina Englar embraces the principle of minimum intervention in the vineyard and in the cellar. For this reason, the manual harvest of the grapes, as well as the spontaneous fermentation, are essential practices.
  
• Speaking instead of the future: what tomorrow will the company wait for? Are there any changes or some new evolutionary process planned?
  What has been achieved so far should now be stabilized and the quality should continue to grow.
  
• Are you planning to create new products?
  Last year we created our first cuvèe, Blanc de Castel.
  
• Having focused on Spaghetti & Mandolino, how important is online sales for you, what was your relationship in the past with this sales channel and how do you see it in the future?
  The online marketplace is essential to reach all our customers at home.
  
• Value: what was it, what is it today and what will it be in the future for your company?
  The knowledge and pleasure of wine and viticulture should be transmitted from generation to generation
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S&M