Planning a wedding involves countless decisions, including the venue, flowers, music, and food. But contrary to what you might expect for someone like me who works in the wine world, choosing the wines was one of the most daunting tasks of all.

I’ll admit it—I drove myself a little crazy choosing wines for my daughter Colette’s wedding last October. I have so many favorites, and narrowing them down felt impossible. But one bottle kept resurfacing: the Sylvaner from Abbazia di Novacella in Italy’s Alto Adige. I’d tasted it earlier in the year and thought it was so delicious that I paired it with a weeknight feast.

Click here to see the feast

So, of course, it ended up being our white wine for the cocktail hour. It went perfectly with the passed hors d’oeuvres and the antipasti spread, and many guests asked me about it.

A Hidden Gem

Sylvaner is not a household name, especially outside Europe. But it thrives in the hands of the team at Abbazia di Novacella, a working Augustinian monastery founded in 1142 that is one of the oldest active wineries in the world.

Werner Waldboth, head of marketing, was in New York recently to lead a blind tasting of the winery’s lineup of whites. When we reached the Sylvaner, his eyes lit up. “Our hearts are with Sylvaner,” he told our group of sommeliers and journalists. “It’s not the most famous or commercially important, but for us, it’s the one with the longest tradition, and the most soul.”

Sylvaner (sometimes spelled Silvaner) is best known in Germany, Austria, and Alsace, but it’s been growing in Italy’s Isarco Valley for centuries, too. “Sylvaner was the main variety in our area up until the early 2000s,” Waldboth explained. “Even in 1983, it still made up 63% of our agricultural land. However, Müller-Thurgau then took over, followed by Kerner which is now the most widely planted variety of the region. Sylvaner became a bit forgotten.”

But not at Abbazia di Novacella. The estate bottled its first Sylvaner in 1908 and has retained the vines, some of which are now decades old. The winery’s cellar holds bottles dating back to the 1970s, and according to Waldboth, they’re aging beautifully.

“When young, Sylvaner is fresh and spicy. With age, it gains creaminess, texture, and depth,” he said. “We’ve poured bottles from the 1970s that are still lively. It’s all about structure, acidity, balance, and the variety’s natural restraint.”

While many producers in Alto Adige have moved on to more recognizable names like Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc, Abbazia di Novacella remains committed to Sylvaner, and not just for tradition’s sake. The grape is also well-suited to the challenges of climate change. Its moderate sugar accumulation and ability to retain acidity even in warmer years make it a smart choice in the vineyard.

“In cooler vintages, it can be razor-sharp,” Waldboth noted. “In warmer ones, it gains a bit of richness, but never becomes flabby. It stays in balance.”

Abbazia di Novacella produces two tiers of wine: the Classic line, which is accessible, well-priced, and a great introduction to what this ancient winery is capable of, and the Praepositus label, representing premium, age-worthy selections made from their best fruit from top vineyard sites.

While known for their excellent white wines, such as Sylvaner, Pinot Grigio, and Kerner, they also produce acclaimed red wines from indigenous varieties like Lagrein and Schiava, as well as Pinot Nero.

During the event, I tasted two Praepositus Sylvaners, one the current vintage (2023), the other, an older bottle (2015) from the winery’s cellar. The youthful version was bright, with orchard fruit and alpine herbs, while the older wine had developed a gentle creaminess and subtle nuttiness, without losing its acidity or sense of place.

Tasting them side by side, it was easy to understand why the team at Novacella holds this under-the-radar variety in such high regard. As Waldboth said of Sylvaner, “It may not be famous. But when people taste it, they remember it. And that’s what matters.”

If you haven’t yet discovered Sylvaner, let Abbazia di Novacella be your introduction. It might just end up at your next celebration, too.