The story of the alcohol-free apple aperitif from Lana!

In 2019, Josef Holzner took over the family business, Weinsepphof, in Lana (South Tyrol). Shortly thereafter, he made the first attempt to produce a naturally cloudy, red-fleshed apple juice. However, the initial small-batch productions were not satisfactory, and it took some time before today's Sparkling Rocco was developed. In the spring of 2020, it was ready, and Rocco was introduced to its first customers. With unexpected success, the new aperitif sold out in no time.

This marked the launch of Sparkling Rocco and many more products to come.

In February 2023, Florian Lair joined the project to make the natural Rocco accessible to as many enthusiasts as possible. Our philosophy of keeping the product as natural as possible has been and remains very important to us. For this, we maintain important contacts to ensure that even with our continuous growth, we do not compromise on quality and sustainability!

By now, our Rocco has established itself as a very popular drink. This includes not only a unique product but also a lot of passion and strong team cohesion.

 

We are fortunate that our Rocco is enjoyed by you every day, and we look forward to future new Rocco enthusiasts :)


Cheers to many unforgettable moments!
Best regards, Your Sparkling Rocco Team

Weinsepphof

The Weinsepphof was built in 1980 and takes its name from the Germanized apple variety Winesap. Back then, an orchard of this variety grew on the land – though unfortunately, only one Winesap tree remains on the farm today. Josef took over the operation in 2019, making him the third generation to run the farm.

The first idea

It all began with the difficult-to-market red-fleshed apples, which inspired Josef to venture into processing them. Initially, he produced a naturally cloudy juice that was very well received by friends and house guests. The fresh acidity was incredibly invigorating, and it quickly became clear that this red-fleshed apple juice deserved a different purpose than conventional apple juice. With Italian aperitif culture being so popular across Europe and beyond, Josef began experimenting in this direction. After some time, the idea for today's Sparkling Rocco was born. The red-fleshed apple had found its ideal use – and now delights our customers daily as their perfect aperitif.

Our Vision

In short, we stand for sustainability and innovation. Our near-term goal is to continuously uphold the quality and local connection to our production and producers. Long-term, we aim to expand our product range with our red hero, making full use of the apple's unique characteristics.