Schiava: The Pale, Easy Alpine Red With a Loaded Name

Not every great underdog is a brooding, age-worthy monster. Some are just pure pleasure — and Schiava is the proof. It's the most-planted red grape in Alto Adige, the German-speaking, mountainous top of Italy, where it's also called Vernatsch. The wine is pale, light-bodied, low in tannin, and so easy to drink it almost feels like a secret the locals kept for themselves.

What it tastes like

Think of a red with the weight and chill-ability of a rosé but the soul of a red. Schiava is light and fresh, low in tannin, with delicate red berries, a floral hint of violets, and a signature whiff of almond on the finish. Serve it slightly cool. It's the wine for a warm afternoon, a charcuterie board, or anyone who finds big reds exhausting — a genuinely food-friendly, all-day red.

That name

Here's the hook that makes Schiava such fun to pour for friends: the name comes from the Latin sclavus / Italian schiavo — literally "slave." But most grape historians read it as meaning "Slavic" (i.e. of Slavic origin), in the same naming tradition as Croatina or Greco, rather than anything about enslavement. The German name, Vernatsch, comes from vernaculus — "native." So depending on the language, the same grape is either "the Slavic one" or "the local one." Wine history is full of these little riddles, and Schiava is one of the best.

Why it belongs here

Schiava is the underdog case for joy over prestige. It will never be a status wine — it's light, cheap, and unpretentious — which is exactly why the gatekeepers ignore it and why it's such good value. It's also a key grape in my northeast-Italy pillar, alongside Teroldego: two native Alpine reds, one intense and one featherlight, from a corner of Italy worth knowing.

Bottles to look for

Look for Alto Adige producers like Elena Walch, Alois Lageder, Cantina Tramin, and Castelfeder. Bottles labeled St. Magdalener (a classic Schiava-based blend) are a great place to start. Drink them young, slightly chilled, and don't overthink it. A scored review will land here once I've tasted a few properly.

— Chris Berry