Discovering Vini di Valtellina – Chiavennasca – the Nebbiolo of the Alps
Far in the north of Italy’s Lombardia region, tucked between the Rhaetian Alps of Switzerland and the Orobiche Alps in Italy, you find the east-west valley of Valtellina. Here, the Adda River flows from the Swiss Alps through the Valtellina Valley and then out to the west into Lake Como, past Milan, and eventually to the Po River.
The Alps protect this region from storms. The rain shadow that is caused means they receive less than 900 millimeters of rain annually.
The valley’s north side, which gets the southern exposure, has terraces of vines planted to catch the light. Vineyards here are steep.
“Muretti” the dry stone walls that terrace the vines
The roots of the vines here drive into the mother rock giving the Nebbiolo here lighter tannins and higher minerality.
The Adda River has always been known to flood. Its water originates from snowpack in the Alps, so grapes were planted on the steep slopes between 300 and 800 meters above sea level.
To make caring for the vines easier, the people of Valtellina built dry stone walls to create terraces on these south-facing slopes. There are more than 2,500 kilometers of these walls, called “muretti,” in the region. They like to say this is equal to driving to Sicily and back. In 2018 the area was named a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Discovering wine country: a guide to experiencing wine regions
Discovering wine country is about immersing yourself in the world of winemaking, experiencing the unique culture and landscapes of famous wine-producing regions. Beyond just tasting, it encompasses understanding the Regions, history, geography, and winemaking processes that shape each region’s distinctive wines.
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