Sommelier on the slopes in Alta Badia

London, May 2014. Three thousand people are seated in a large, sterile room. Each is given a glass containing the same red wine. The walls are completely white; there are no windows. At a certain point, the colour of the lighting and the background music begin to change. The light changes from white to green and from green to red and simultaneously, harsh, syncopated pieces of music alternate with harmonious, gentle melodies. With each change, the wine seems to be transformed. Under the green light and with the abrasive soundtrack, participants perceive it as fresher, more subtle, and less intense. With the red light and soft music, it becomes fruitier, warmer, more structured and satisfying. What's happening? This isn’t magic, it's science. This curious experiment, presented to the public under the name The Colour Lab, was actually the first large-scale study to solidly demonstrate how our surroundings can influence our perception of what we eat and drink. Today, gastrophysics — a discipline popularized by Charles Spence, Oxford University neuroscientist, psychologist and the brains behind The Colour Lab — is investigating how the food and wine experience depends not only on taste in the strictest sense, but also on a complex and invisible interaction with external multisensory stimuli.

Yet if all this was done in a nondescript British room under cold lights and with artificial sounds, what would a wine taste like at over 2,000 metres above sea level, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and dense forests, breathing in the fresh air and walking on snow? Well, in this case it's not an experiment, but Sommelier on the slopes: an event that for almost ten years, has brought tourists and enthusiasts to discover the best South Tyrolean wines in Alta Badia. Taken out of the context of cellars, wineries and noisy restaurant tables, here wine can take advantage of an environment that heightens the senses and encourages contemplation.

The experience begins with a short cable car ride, allowing guests to reach the meeting point while simultaneously leaving behind the daily grind of the city in a short rite of passage that helps provide a change of pace and perspective. At the summit, a sommelier and a ski instructor await participants. Groups are intentionally small, a maximum of fourteen people, in order to create an intimate atmosphere and ensure a truly made-to-measure experience.  Skis on, and off we go! After about twenty minutes, you reach the first refuge and are treated to the first two glasses of wine, accompanied by small gastronomic delicacies and an engaging narration. The initiative has been organized together with the Consorzio Vini Alto Adige (South Tyrol Wine Consortium) and the Associazione Italiana Sommelier dell’Alto Adige (South Tyrol Italian Sommelier’s Association) which carefully select the labels and provide their teams of professionals while André Senoner, director of the association's Service Group, oversees the faultless sommelier training and wine selection. The goal is to promote and raise awareness of the quality and diversity of local wine which is why the tastings vary each time, offering original and diverse perspectives. In just over 5,000 hectares of vineyards, Alto Adige ranges from sun-drenched vineyards 200 meters above sea level that are surrounded by olive trees and cypresses, to Alpine landscapes in which viticulture becomes a heroic undertaking and steep vineyards reach altitudes above 1,000 meters. The resulting mosaic of soils, microclimates, traditions and vocations allow the cultivation of more than twenty varietals with the outcome being expressive and evocative wines, embodying a unique character. Sommelier on the slopes fully conveys this richness and explores it through themed itineraries such as a focus on whites or reds, in-depth analysis of Metodo Classico sparkling wines, organic and biodynamic production, and the most vertical and mountainous expressions of this product. The combinations are potentially endless, and the tastings range from native varieties like Gewürztraminer, Schiava and Lagrein to international ones such as Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon and Riesling, to name just a few.

Meanwhile, as flavours and perceptions calm down, we glide toward the second hut and a new selection of wines. The huts hosting the initiative also change with each appointment: they are chosen from among the most iconic and characteristic in Alta Badia, a skier's paradise that in recent years has also become an undisputed food and wine mecca. During the nearly two and a half hour adventure, the sommelier leads participants through a technical tasting and offers practical tips and valuable tools for understanding and appreciating what's in their glass, in a genuine lesson which will also prove useful once down in the valley. With every sip, we discover South Tyrol's winemaking culture, the stories behind the wineries, the different growing regions, and the sensitivities of their results. Yet there's more: wine requires observation. What emerges from the bouquet? And the palate? How does the liquid move around in our mouths? What remains after swallowing? In this suspended space, a new listening experience, so often overlooked and silenced, is activated and added to our sensations. The body becomes more receptive and present, while the Dolomite landscape, unique in its simultaneously majestic and minimalistic nature, does its own part, bringing us back to essentiality, expanding the senses and time, reconnecting us with a creative and instinctive form of knowledge.

Sommelier on the slopes shows us that the mountains and wine have a good deal in common: they are both living and ever-changing “places” conducive to meditation and exploration. This exploration is never just geographical, it is also emotional. Here, two energies meet and feed off each other, effectively creating a sort of gastrophysical hall of mirrors in which the environment amplifies and conditions the perception of wine and vice versa.

So, what does a wine taste like when drunk at over two thousand metres, surrounded by snow-capped peaks and dense forests, breathing in the fresh air and walking on snow? The beauty lies in discovering it anew, every single time.