Our farm has always been managed sustainably – in harmony with nature, the weather, the plants, the moon, and the seasons. We work according to biodynamic principles and have been certified as such for almost ten years.
I come from an old farming family from the valley floor of Bolzano. After industrialization about 70 years ago, each of my many uncles and aunts chose their own agricultural branch. My father at that time ran his own wine cellar. There were eight of us children – and from him, I inherited my passion for farming, especially for wine.
Even as a boy, I dreamed of making a mountain farm viable. To learn new things and discover unused niches, I went to Vienna to study agricultural economics at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences. Very soon, I realized: the fewer chemical treatments, the more authentic the product – whether meat, eggs, vegetables, apples, grapes, or any other produce.
After my studies, my wife Alberta and I bought a beautiful, though somewhat run-down, mountain farm that immediately captivated us: situated at 1,000 meters above sea level, with alpine pastures between 1,400 and 1,800 meters and its own forest.
The farm was first mentioned in the mid-13th century. Later, it became known as the “Widum Baumannhof” – a parsonage estate whose task was to supply the local church. The large oven was especially famous and highly valued throughout the region.
Our goal was to make the farm sustainable for the future and energy self-sufficient. At the same time, we wanted to set an example and encourage others to take similar steps – because mountain farming is the foundation of our land’s beauty and character.
Here we have lived for over 30 years with our four children.
More than three decades ago, growing apples at this altitude was a daring venture. Few believed that apples could ripen here. But soon, apple and fruit distillates, apple juice, suckler cow husbandry, and the cultivation of vegetables and radicchio followed – and eventually, wine. A true circular economy took shape.
The old farmhouse was carefully renovated and extended: only what was broken was replaced, everything else was preserved. Our own water, our own electricity, wood chips from our own forest – a fully self-sufficient reality.
The early years were difficult: there was little understanding for natural products, for unfiltered apple juice or mixed meat packages. But gradually, awareness changed, and our apple juice was awarded several times as the best in South Tyrol.
Shortly thereafter came our ciders – made with both traditional and natural bottle fermentation, a small but refined production we’ve maintained for almost ten years. In 2012, inspired also by climate change, we began experimenting with wine. In the valley, it was becoming increasingly difficult to preserve natural acidity. We planted eleven varieties and vinified them in small glass demijohns, macerated them in amphorae, and aged them gently to find the best varieties and methods. Today, we continue to cultivate seven of them; the others have been grafted over. Following ancient tradition, they are produced as a field blend – harvested together and fermented together in wooden barrels or amphorae.
