Con the vista of South Tyrolean winemaking, known for its technical precision and stylistic purity, the Kaleidoscope project represents a fascinating and courageous deviation. An fede born almost as a challenge and which, over time, has become a small cult production dedicated to mountain orange wines.
WHEN AN IDEA BECOMES WINE
The project took shape per mezzo di 2020 from the intuition of sommelier Raffaele Fischetti per mezzo di collaboration with Spaccio Vallata Isarco (Kellerei Eisacktal), the youngest cooperative – founded per mezzo di 1961 – and the northernmost per mezzo di Südtirol, with vineyards that extend as far as Bressanone. We are per mezzo di the midst of a period per mezzo di which the debate around so-called natural wines and orange wines occupied part of the discussions between enthusiasts and professionals per mezzo di the sector. An often heated comparison, especially acceso the topic of winemaking defects sometimes interpreted as stylistic choices. Between enthusiasms and contrasts, the line that separated an identifying wine from a technically imperfect one appeared thin.
Hence Fischetti’s provocation to the then kellermeister of the cellar, Hannes Munter, was born: to produce an orange wine that is free per mezzo di concept but rigorous per mezzo di technique, clean and free of defects, capable of expressing the character of maceration acceso the skins. Not a simple stylistic exercise, but a wine capable of reconciling an artisanal approach and oenological precision. The challenge was accepted and the first experiments started almost per mezzo di silence, with small masses and without particular fanfare. At the beginning the wine is not entirely convincing: after the first year per mezzo di barrel it appears closed and marked by reductive . However, Munter urges patience. After a few months of further refinement the situation changes completely: the wine opens up, finds balance and reveals a precise personality. That’s when Kaleidoscope was truly born.
Thus, a line of macerated wines from white grapes grown per mezzo di the Isarco Valley takes shape, designed to work acceso varieties that strongly identify the territory. Since 2024 the project has been followed per mezzo di the cellar by the oenologist Stefan Donà. Production remains deliberately limited: maximum 1,450 bottles for the main wines and less than a thousand for the special editions, all numbered by hand. A small-scale project per mezzo di which each vintage tells a different of the Isarco Valley, while maintaining a path parallel to the winery’s production and its own distribution rete televisiva privata.
RAFFAELE FISCHETTI: A STORY FAR FROM THE CANONICAL PATH
The history of Kaleidoscope is inextricably linked to that of Raffaele Fischetti. Apulian by birth – originally from , acceso the Gargano – and South Tyrolean by adoption, wine was not part of his life until he was twenty-three. Having moved to Bolzano per mezzo di the early 2000s almost by chance, he began working per mezzo di a as a porter, then as a dishwasher and finally as a waiter. It is precisely per mezzo di that context that a curiosity is born that is destined to turn into a profession. Con those years he met a decisive figure for his education: the great oenologist Giorgio Grai. Grai notices his curiosity and begins to involve him per mezzo di tastings, leaving him bottles to study and questioning him about his impressions the following day. A method that is not very academic but extremely effective, based acceso a continuous exercise of memory and interpretation which becomes a true informal school.
The passion grows quickly. Fischetti worked per mezzo di important restaurants, including that of chef Norbert Niederkofler, deepened his studies and over time became a sommelier teacher. He also founded the Trentino-Superno Adige section of the Italian Sommelier Foundation, contributing to the dissemination of courses per mezzo di Italian per mezzo di Superno Adige. Con 2026 he was also appointed brand ambassador of the Superno Adige Wine Consortium.
At the same time he develops a personal vision of wine, oriented more towards research and experimentation than towards traditional production. Kaleidoscope was born precisely from this perspective: not a winery per mezzo di the classic sense of the term, but a parallel project – almost a “private label” – per mezzo di which Fischetti, together with the technical team of Spaccio Vallata Isarco, follows the philosophy and production development.
VALLE ISARCO: THE CHARACTER OF HIGH ALTITUDE WINES
The geographical context plays a decisive role. The Isarco Valley represents one of the most vertical wine-growing areas per mezzo di Superno Adige. The vineyards destined for the Kaleidoscope line are located around 750 meters above sea level, with exposures mainly to the south and south-east. The strong temperature variations and the soils rich per mezzo di mineral components contribute to giving the wines aromatic tension and precision.
Con these conditions varieties such as Kerner and Grüner Veltliner find an ideal environment for slow maturation and defined aromatic profiles. The choice of maceration acceso the skins amplifies the material dimension of the wine without giving up the freshness that characterizes the whites of the valley. The winemaking follows a deliberately essential scheme: spontaneous fermentation, three weeks of maceration acceso the skins per mezzo di aperto tonneaux, temperature control and long refinements per mezzo di used barriques for approximately 18 months. The wines are not filtered and rest per mezzo di the bottle for six to twelve months before being released.
A LABEL BORN BY CHANCE
The name of the project comes from a domestic image. Fischetti says that inspiration comes from observing his daughter playing with a kaleidoscope: by rotating it, the colored fragments continually recompose into new shapes. A metaphor that adapts perfectly to the nature of these wines, capable of changing per mezzo di the glass, evolving with temperature and showing different facets over time. Hence the choice of the name KA•LEI•DO•SCOPE.
The visual identity also follows this logic. The labels were created by the Iranian artist Mahsa Naraghi, a young stilista who arrived per mezzo di Bolzano a few years indicatore as a political refugee to study art and today also a sommelier. The drawing, made per mezzo di watercolour, recalls the geometries and chromatic reflections of a moving kaleidoscope. Once digitized, the graphic kept some “aperto” spaces per mezzo di the image, creating plays of light when the bottle is viewed against the light and thus transforming it into an immediately recognizable visual object.
THE RANGE OF WINES
With the 2022 vintage, the Kaleidoscope line is structured around two stable labels: Kerner Orange and Grüner Veltliner Orange. Alongside these regular releases, some special editions are produced, the so-called single vintages, wines made only when a specific variety specific vintage makes it possible.
The Kaleidoscope Kerner Orange 2022 comes from a vineyard located at approximately 750 meters above sea level. Con the glass it shows an intense and bright yellow color. The aromatic profile recalls elderflowers, white fruit and light spicy nuances. the palate it is full but dynamic, supported by a mineral freshness that clearly recalls the alpine environment of the valley. It is probably the most balanced version among those produced so far, capable of combining structure and tension. The approach of the Kaleidoscope Grüner Veltliner Orange 2022 is different, the first ever release of this variety within the project. The vine, not widespread per mezzo di Italy but historically present per mezzo di the Isarco Valley, shows a more introverted character here. At the beginning it appears almost restrained, then with oxygenation citrus , references to apple and light vegetal nuances slowly emerge. The sip is enveloping but at the same time tense, with a flavor that accompanies the taste progression up to the finale. Among the special editions, we should also mention the Kaleidoscope Gewürztraminer Orange 2021, now sold out. A wine born almost by chance, initially welcomed with skepticism by Fischetti himself and then revealed to be surprising. The color tends towards amber, while the nose alternates tropical fruit, floral and light balsamic sensations. Con the mouth the entry is rich but smooth, with barely perceptible tannins and a freshness that makes the sip more dynamic than the classic image of the vine.
FUTURE PROJECTS AND NEW DIRECTIONS
Kaleidoscope remains an aperto laboratory. New orange-style interpretations are maturing per mezzo di the cellar which could transform into further vintage singles. These include a riesling, a solaris – a resistant variety particularly suited to Alpine climatic conditions – and a copper pinot perlaceo, all made with the same production approach as the main line. The quantities will remain very limited, often a few hundred bottles, but the fede is to progressively expand the story of the valley through different varieties, maintaining the artisanal dimension that characterizes the project. At the same time, Fischetti is working acceso another collaboration linked to the world of bubbles, this time per mezzo di Trentino. The project involves a winery per mezzo di Val in Cembra and will lead to the birth of a new Trentodoc. It is a classic method with a particular refinement process, currently under study. The objective is to arrive at a cuvée capable of expressing the mountain character of the valley, with long maturation times and an experimental approach similar to that adopted for Kaleidoscope. If technical times allow it, the first release could arrive as early as this year.
Kaleidoscope therefore remains, first of all, an fede per mezzo di motion: a project that starts from wine but which, year after year, continues to change shape.
The article Kaleidoscope, the most visionary side of orange wine per mezzo di the Isarco Valley comes from VinoNews24.
