Pojer e Sandri Muller-Thurgau “Palai” 2024

Pojer e Sandri Müller-Thurgau "Palai" 2024 is a mountain white from Trentino's Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT, an aromatic bottling that has become one of the estate's signature labels since its very first vintage in 1975 put this obscure grape on the Italian wine map.

The winery was founded that year in Faedo by Mario Pojer and Fiorentino Sandri, two young friends who set out with little more than two hectares, few resources, and a lot of courage to prove that the hillsides between the Adige and Cembra valleys, long dismissed as unsuited to fine viticulture, could produce wines of real distinction. Working at elevation, where cool mountain air and winds blowing north off Lake Garda keep the fruit fresh and slow ripening, the pair became known for meticulous vineyard work paired with a spirit of experimentation, helping pioneer varieties and styles that were unconventional for Trentino at the time. Decades on, Pojer e Sandri remains a benchmark estate for the region, prized for wines that stay true to site and variety rather than chasing trends.

In the glass, the 2024 Palai shows a delicate straw yellow with occasional greenish reflections. The nose is where Müller-Thurgau's aromatic side shines, offering fragrant notes of citrus and white fruit with slight tropical hints, layered with white flowers and a faint spicy nuance. Vinified entirely in stainless steel to preserve that freshness, the palate is fresh and subtle, with an enticing minerality, carried by bright acidity that balances its structure and intensity through to a long, delicately almondy finish.

It's a wine that proves a much maligned grape can produce something genuinely compelling: refreshing, food friendly, and full of alpine character, at a price that makes it an easy, everyday indulgence.