Towards the end of the 11th century, the Earls of Bolzano bid a stronghold to be built in the centre of the former “Cheller” (literally cellar) where “Gries” is now to be found.  Earl Leopold passed the fortress over to some homeless Austinian canons, who had lost their monastery in a flood, but it was only with the arrival of Benedectine friars from Muri in 1845 that the monastery began to produce wine. Still a fully functioning monastery, today Muri-Gries is a producer of predominantly red wines made from the classic local grape varieties of Lagrein and Vernatsch (Schiava).