Alpine News From December 20

Gasthof zum Hirschen, Val di Non Valley, South Tyrol

The Gasthof Zum Hirschen is a historical retreat, a refuge to switch off, recharge your batteries in nature, to consciously enjoy. The uniqueness of the house lies in the harmonious combination of ancient spiritual wisdom and a contemporary comfort culture. A special experience for the guests is the family hospitality and the unique gastronomy at the knot of two cultures.

Book your stay here.

Kulm Country Club, St Moritz

The Kulm Country Club is home to a stylish new restaurant curated by Michelin-starred Chef Mauro Colagreco. An irresistible menu invites you to dine on dishes cooked on a grill or over embers and charcoal. And for dessert, settle in for an evening of expertly curated music and vinyl with Arman Nafeei, their new music director.

Read our St Moritz Insider Guide here.

La Maison Carree Auvernier Pinot Noir 2016 from Lake Neuchâtel.

The 2016 Auvernier Pinot Noir displays a deep, very fine, pure and spicy bouquet of perfectly ripe dark fruits, crunchy cherry skins, cassis and even red berries with a kiss of mint and ivy notes. Silky, lush and elegant on the palate, with very fine tannins and delicate acidity, this is a full-bodied, intense and generous Pinot with firm tannins and concentrated dark fruit on the finish. It is a deep, dense and powerful Pinot without any hints of sweetness. It’s simply Pinot Noir at its best, and it’s damned tight and salty as well as concentrated on the finish. A great Swiss Pinot indeed.

Michael Buerger

Michael Buerger turns to her Austrian roots in 2019 to offer flawlessly "Tracht" decontextualized luxury handknits in the spirit of Buerger's native Austrian Alps.

Aosta Valley-Style Cabbage Soup

A recipe from Stephanie Boote

Serves 6 ​

• 500g bread. I've used plain sourdough, but ciabatta or anything else will work really​

• 5 large garlic cloves​

• A few good glugs of good olive oil​

• 1kg savoy cabbage​

• 440g fontina cheese (or taleggio which is more widely available. A mixture of the two is my favorite way)​

• 80g parmesan, grated​

• 1.5l chicken stock​

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.​

Slice any thicker crusts off the bread and cut them into large chunks ​ (about 4-5cm cubes). Halve the garlic cloves keeping the skins on, and crush with your palm or the back of a knife. Place these together on a roasting tray with the bread, cover in a few good glugs of olive oil, and toss. Put in the oven for 12-15 mins, tossing once or twice along the way until they are toasted nicely.​

​ Meanwhile, boil a large pan of salted water. Cut your cabbages in half and pull off the leaves, slicing out any large white veins. Drop them into your boiling water, and once they have come up to a boil, ​ give them 1 minute before draining well. Put aside.​Layer everything up in your baking dish. Begin with cabbage at the bottom, followed by your bread. Add a little salt and a good grind of black pepper. Follow with your cheeses and then stock. Break up the cooked garlic cloves from the breadcrumbs tray between your fingers in each layer. You should end up with two to three layers of ​ each and less bread on the final top layer, but anything goes. Finish with a little glug of oil to top things off. ​

​ Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven and give things a rough stir before serving it up.​

©Ed Shofield

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Bolzano's Parkhotel Mondschein hosts a lovely Winterkiosk, in collaboration with Monocle, where you can shop, taste local wines, and discover local DJs.

Read our Bolzano Insider Guide here.

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84 Rooms recommends: Where To Stay, Eat, And Play In St Moritz, and The 84 Rooms Guide To Lech.