Terlano is the name of a town along the Adige valley between Bolzano and Merano; it is also the name of an Italian winery of excellence awarded all over the world: the cooperative winery founded by the winemakers of Terlano in 1893. Today the 143 contributing members of Cantina Terlano in total manage 190 hectares of vineyards on the slopes of the mountains, from which they produce one and a half million bottles of wine every year under the DOC Alto Adige. The success of the Terlano winery is due to a multiplicity of factors: the genius and foresight of the people who have guided it, the choice of grape varieties congenial to the territory, a climate favorable to quality viticulture and a unique soil of volcanic and alluvial origin.

Already in the early years of its existence, the Terlano winery concentrated its activity on the production of white wines, although at that time in South Tyrol mainly red grapes were cultivated to produce red wines based on Schiava and Lagrein. But in Terlano they understood that that territory was suitable for whites. They have been able to cultivate the right varieties for each parcel, in particular as the altitude changes, the cultivated vine variety changes, reserving the lower altitudes for red grapes and the higher ones for white grapes. Although located at a northern latitude, the Terlano area enjoys a particular climate, as the northernmost Alps shield the cold winds and rains, while the mild air influenced by the Mediterranean arrives from the south, so much so that in summer highest temperatures can easily exceed 30 ° C and the vines enjoy 2000 hours of sunlight a year. At the same time, cool winds descend from the mountains at night, creating high temperature variations between night and day, which favor the accumulation of flavor compounds on the grape skins.

The vineyards are all located on the left side of the Adige on even steep slopes between 250 and 900 m above sea level; all activities in the vineyard must necessarily be carried out by hand; in addition, winemakers pay particular attention for the environment, avoiding herbicides and synthetic products by following an organic approach. The soils are made up of red porphyry that was formed at the time of the formation of the Alps: these are in particular layers of acid lava and volcanic lapilli. Furthermore, in the succession of geological eras, the advance and retreat of the glaciers have shaped the morphology of the valley and the erosion activity has led to the downstream debris of mineral origin. Consequently, the soils of the vineyards are very draining and poor in limestone, but rich in minerals. This determines naturally low yields and wines with a savory and tasty character.

The white wines of Terlano stand out not only for their quality from an organoleptic point of view, but also for their great longevity. This aspect has been studied and has become a source of pride for the Terlano Winery, so much so that every year a wine is chosen that rests in the cellar in steel containers on the lees for 10 years or more and proposed on the market after this very long aging with the name of "rarity". The rarities of Terlano are highly sought-after wines, from collections, which are produced every year in a limited number of bottles.