Cantina Girlan in Alto Adige is a cooperative, but not in the industrial sense people imagine. It’s a collective of growers who farm some of the region’s most historic parcels, and Schiava is one of the grapes that defines their identity. Schiava doesn’t shout. It’s a light and quiet wine but not by no means boring. It’s traditionally planted on sandy, porphyry-rich soils that give it lift and delicacy. In the right hands, it becomes incredibly expressive without heaviness. This wine shows how seriously Girlan takes a grape that is often underestimated. We appreciate this bottle because it preserves a piece of Alto Adige history. Schiava has been losing ground to international varieties for decades. Keeping it in focus is a cultural decision as much as an agricultural one.