It all began when our former winemaker Sebastian Stocker decided to follow the French model and let the wines rest longer on the lees. Today our rarity wines start life as outstanding vintages that spend a year maturing in wooden barrels. Then they are transferred to small steel tanks (2500 liters) where they are left to age for between ten and thirty years – enough time for them to develop their complex structure and wealth of aromas. When the winemaker feels the wine has attained a fine balance and harmony, it is bottled. After a further four or five years in the bottle, the wine is ready to be enjoyed to the full. At present, sixteen vintages produced using the Stocker method – Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and the Cuvee Terlano – are stored in small steel tanks, the oldest from 1979. Each year only 3,330 bottles of the Terlano rarity wine are filled.