Cycling the Alto Adige With Aldo Sohm and Madeline Puckette

8th October, 2024

Today, a bike; tomorrow, who knows? The revolving door of the Officina never ceases to welcome guests, like the film production crew and two well-known wine connoisseurs, who came to the Officina in mid-September in preparation for a cycling tour of Italy's Südtirol/Alto Adige wine regions to promote this very special area of northernmost Italy to the wider, wine-loving world.

The two riders, famed sommelier Aldo Sohm of the Sohm Bar in New York, and Madeline' Wine Folly' Puckette, educator and expert, were set to star in the film, but first they would need transport. And for their adventure ahead, only bikes would do. As Aldo said of their choice to ride through the region on bicycles: "As a sommelier, you know, I like to be in the vineyards. But when you drive in the car, you feel encapsulated. You have the air conditioning running and the music. You don't smell the air or feel the heat. And on the bike, everything is slower, so you pick up all of these elements. You're outside!"

Madeline aboard her Pegoretti Responsorium

Aldo’s Pegoretti Round

As you will can see in Madeline's teaser film of the trip, we surprised the two wine experts with a Pegoretti, both with custom geometries and painted with Ciavete artwork to reflect their personalities - for Aldo, a Round, and Madeline, a Responsorium. Their imminent ascents of the Passo Mendola, Selleronda and Passo Stelvio en route to the region's finest vineyards would demand nothing less than the ultimate in high-performance, handmade steel road bikes.

After lunch, the crew, Aldo and Madeline, went on their way, and for a moment, the Officina was empty. For a moment, anyway.

Photos by: Thomas Monsorno

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