by Treve Ring | From the folks who brought us SOMM comes a series of short, evocative vine vignettes, produced in conjunction with The Guild of Sommeliers. Others in the series include Piedmonte and Tuscany, but I was taken by the above profile of Alto Adige, a lesser-appreciated wine region in northeast Italy (a hop-skip from Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia and Liechtenstein). The wines are distinctly Germanic and Austrian in approach due to Alto Adige’s long history under the Austria-Hungarian and Holy Roman Empires, and further evidenced by the predominance of German-speaking Italian winemakers. As the clip illustrates, the dramatic backdrop of the southern Alps and Dolomites makes for alluring, fresh and exotic wines from grapes not often associated with Italy. Think Müller-Thurgau, Schiava, Lagrein, Sylvaner, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. If the short documentary entices just one person to try Lagrein, eine Traube, die ich liebe, it deserves an Oscar.