Looking for a dinner that’s easy to pull off but still feels like an occasion? Ina Garten’s recipe for lemon chicken breasts—roasted with garlic, white wine, oregano, and a big hit of citrus—checks all the boxes. Bright, savory, and elegant, it’s the kind of dish that practically begs for a crisp alpine white, like Cantina Bolzano’s Puntscheit Kerner 2024 .

This stainless-steel–fermented gem from northern Italy’s high-altitude Alto Adige region offers freshness, minerality, and just enough aromatic lift to complement the dish. Bonus: you can use it in the recipe too, which calls for ⅓ cup of dry white wine.

Founded from the merger of two historic cooperatives, Cantina Bolzano brings together 224 grape growers farming some of the region’s most striking vineyard sites. During a recent Zoom tasting, Managing Director Matthias Messner shared why Kerner, a Riesling-Schiava cross, is gaining fans fast.

Scroll down for the recipe—then check out five fun facts about Kerner and a photo of the winery’s stunning modern design.

The Barefoot Contessa’s Lemon Chicken Breasts

RECIPE COURTESY OF INA GARTEN

Ingredients

¼ cup good olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic (about 9 cloves)
⅓ cup good quality dry white wine
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 boneless, skin-on chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each)
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Instructions

Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Make the sauce:
Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for just 1 minute — don’t let it brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Pour the sauce into a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken breasts in a single layer.

Prepare the chicken:
Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce in the baking dish. Brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter lemon wedges around the piece of chicken.

Bake:
Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breasts, until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F) and lightly browned.

Serve:
Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the pan juices spooned over the chicken.

Fun Facts About Kerner

Kerner = Schiava × Riesling — This high-altitude white is a cross between fruity, easygoing Schiava and racy, aromatic Riesling. Think the best of both worlds: generous yields and real character.
Born to Chill — Kerner thrives at 550–800m elevations, where hot days and cool Alpine nights lock in acidity and freshness. With climate change, vineyards are creeping even higher.
Steel Only — The Puntscheit Kerner 2024 is fermented and aged in stainless steel to showcase its pure, crisp profile: stone fruit, a hint of pineapple, and a clean mineral finish.
Not Quite Aromatic, But Close — It’s not as overtly floral as Gewürztraminer, but Kerner delivers a semi-aromatic punch that keeps it interesting — and incredibly drinkable.
Why Pair With Lemon Chicken — That zesty acidity, subtle florality, and stone fruit core make it a dream with garlicky, herb-crusted chicken and bright lemon—each sip refreshes and resets the palate.

Cantina Bolzano’s new energy-efficient winery is housed in a striking cube-shaped building known as the “Grape Leaf Cube.” Its perforated aluminum facade, patterned with a stylized vine leaf, lets in natural light while preserving privacy—those inside can see out, but not the other way around.