25-Year-Old White Wine Dinner in NYC
Cantina Terlano at Lucciola
Lucciola Wine Club: an exclusive Italian Wine Dinner in Manhattan — Opening 2026
While the snow was melting on the streets of New York City, Lucciola had the privilege of opening its 2026 Wine Club season with one of the most compelling wineries we have ever hosted: a deep dive into the world of Cantina Terlano, the legendary Alto Adige producer known for crafting some of the most age-worthy white wines in Italy.
This exclusive Italian wine dinner in NYC brought the Dolomites to Manhattan. Cantina Terlano, a South Tyrol icon located in the northernmost region of Italy, has long been considered a benchmark for aged white wine, proving that great white wines can evolve for decades.
Guiding the Terlano Wine Dinner at Lucciola was Klaus Gasser, the winery's consulting enologist and global ambassador since 1994.
The evening was intimate by design. Just twelve guests gathered around the table, a deliberate choice that defines the spirit of our Lucciola Wine Club wine dinners in Manhattan: not a tasting event, not a lecture, but a true conversation over an extraordinary multi-course menu.
Wine Director Alberto Ghezzi moderated the evening, weaving together the stories behind each bottle as Chef Michele Casadei Massari’s late-winter menu unfolded course by course.
What made this NYC wine tasting dinner truly singular was in the glasses: white wines aged up to 20 years, perfectly paired with oysters, red meat, and fish, a rare format even among serious collectors.
Cantina Terlano: Alto Adige Wines with Remarkable Aging Potential
Klaus Gasser has been part of Cantina Terlano for over thirty years. His relationship with these vineyards is not that of a technician managing production, but of someone who has dedicated a life to understanding a place.
From the first pour, Klaus spoke about geography, geology, and time — the defining elements behind South Tyrol’s Alto Adige wines. He described the altitude of specific parcels and how the vineyards draw their singular tension from elevations where the air is thinner and the growing season longer, with ideal humidity.
Guests at this Manhattan wine dinner discovered how the night air descends from the Dolomites, cooling the Alto Adige valley dramatically after warm summer days. This dramatic thermal shift preserves acidity and mineral lift, the very backbone that allows white wines like Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon Blanc to age for decades.
This is why Cantina Terlano is globally respected for its long-aging white wines, a rare distinction in the world of Italian wine.
A White Wine Dinner in NYC: the Rarity 2005 experience
Devoting an entire multi-course dinner to aged white wines is uncommon, even in New York’s fine dining scene, but it was the right choice.
The first Rarity arrived in the glass, and the room went quiet.
Founded in 1893, Cantina Terlano today produces nearly seventy percent white wines. The lineup at this exclusive wine dinner in Manhattan spanned vintages from 2005 to 2022, showcasing the extraordinary lifespan of Alto Adige whites.
The Pinot Bianco Rarity 2005, a nearly 20-year-old white wine, was impossible to describe, but we tried. Textured, layered, and profoundly structured, it challenged every assumption about how long white wine can age.
Magnums of Sauvignon Quarz 2015 and Nova Domus 2010 were among the guests’ favorites, demonstrating depth and vibrancy rarely found outside collector cellars. The Lagrein Porphyr 2020, the evening’s only red wine, arrived last: volcanic, structured.
For many guests, this was their first time tasting a 20-year-old white wine, and a reminder that aged Italian whites can rival the greatest reds in complexity.
The Surprise of the Evening
No Lucciola Wine Club dinner is complete without a moment of unexpectedness.
This time, it came in the form of Giusti's Riserva, 100-year-old balsamic vinegar, presented tableside and tasted neat, directly on the hand of the guests, followed by Giusti Vermouth.
The comparison drew gasps and laughter, the kind that only something genuinely surprising can evoke. It was a reminder that the greatest ingredients, like the greatest wines, are the result of time, knowledge, and commitment: no shortcuts, no substitutes.
The Wine Lineup
Sauvignon Quarz Magnum 2015
Chardonnay Kreuth 2018
Pinot Bianco Rarity 2005
Terlaner Nova Domus Magnum 2010
Terlaner Primo Grande Cuvée 2021
Lagrein Porphyr 2020
Frequently Asked Questions About Aged White Wine
Can white wine age for 20 years?
Yes. High-acidity wines from regions like Alto Adige — especially Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon Blanc from producers like Cantina Terlano — can age gracefully for decades when stored properly.
Where can I attend an Italian wine dinner in NYC?
Lucciola Wine Club hosts exclusive Italian wine dinners in Manhattan featuring renowned producers, aged vintages, and multi-course pairings.
What makes Alto Adige wines unique?
Alto Adige wines benefit from dramatic temperature shifts between warm days and cool Alpine nights, preserving acidity and minerality that allow long aging potential.
Join Us for Future Events
The Lucciola Wine Club is built on the belief that wine is better understood through dialogue than description.
Our Italian wine dinners in Manhattan bring together producers, collectors, and passionate guests around one table: always intimate, always educational, driven by authenticity.
If exclusive wine events in NYC and direct conversations with producers resonate with you, we invite you to join us for what comes next.
