HISTORY In 1906 ambitious and highly-motivated vine-growers founded a co-operative to produce, distribute and market there wine. The orga¬ nisation embodied the principles of co-operation as propounded by the German economist Friedrich Wilhelm Raifeisen. The foundation stone had been laid for creating a business ethos which would secure the route to even higher quality wine. At the turn of the century, South Tyrol was the wine treasure chest of the Austrian royal family. Our cellars were supplying the palaces and courts of the Habsburg empire. The early days were certainly not easy, as progress was interrupted first by the war and then by the world-wide economic problems of the inter-war years. In South Tyrol the area of land given over to vines was reduced from 11,000 hectares to 5,000 hectares and it was not until the 1950s that we could resume wine exports to our traditional markets. In the 1970s drinking habits changed dramatically. Quality replaced quantity as the guiding principle. With the same surface area, production from our cellars fell by 40,000 hectolitres to 21,000 hectolitres. Under the guidance of our vine-growing experts, the first quality group was formed. The outcome was selected wines from certain vineyards and special bottlings: our TOP WINES were born.