The wine and tastes route

A fascinating route, that leads you to the discovery of the Nebbiolo delle Alpi

The Wine and tastes route of Valtellina is a fascinating 67 km itinerary that crosses the terraced vineyards where the Nebbiolo delle Alpi is produced. It is a vehicle accessible route, easy to follow thanks to the road signs, that links Ardenno to Tirano. The wine route winds across old boroughs, sanctuaries surrounded by nature and remains of ancient castles. Here you can spend a night in an agriturismo, a b&b or a hotel nestled among the vineyards, lulled by the silence of the Alps.

Along the road, several cellars offer guided tours and wine tastings, restaurants propose typical dishes made with locally produced ingredients accompanied by exquisite Valtellinese wines.

You'll find this and much more along the VALTELLINA WINE ROAD, a route worth discovering!

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Strada del Vino e dei Sapori della Valtellina
+39 0342-200871
stradadelvinovaltellina@gmail.com

Original text and photos: https://www.stradadelvinovaltellina.it/

VALTELLINA SUPERIORE SASSELLA DOCG — The Sassella wine is produced with grapes cultivated in a 116 hectares area that stretches between Castione Andevenno and the western side of Sondrio. This mountainside is particularly sunny and at its center there is the cliff topped by the Sassella Marian shrine. The name "Sassella" derives from "sasso" (rock, cliff).

VALTELLINA SUPERIORE GRUMELLO DOCG — This subarea, North of Sondrio, is the birthplace of the Valtellina Superiore wine – 74 hectares of land around the remains of Castel Grumello. A 13th century fortress dominates over Sondrio, that offers a breathtaking view over the vineyards and the valley.

VALTELLINA SUPERIORE INFERNO DOCG — The smallest subarea, with a name as peculiar as fascinating, includes the little vineyards between Poggiridenti and Tresivio, difficult to reach rocky corners, slopes where in summer temperatures get quite high. The well-known Inferno area, on the Eastern side of Grumello, stretches over an area of 55 hectares.

VALTELLINA SUPERIORE VALGELLA DOCG — This is the largest subarea (137 hectares around Teglio), in the past the red wine produced here was mainly exported to Switzerland. Its name comes from “valgel”, a dialectal term that means “mountain creek flowing towards the valley”.

VALTELLINA SUPERIORE MAROGGIA DOCG — Maroggia is an area belonging to the town of Berbenno in Valtellina and boarders with the Sassella area. This is the most recently discovered subarea. The Maroggia wine is produced in limited quantities (25 hectares of vineyards) and is linked to Benigno De’ Medici who, in the mid-Fifteenth century, stopped in Maroggia, where he found hospitality, tasted the local wine and defined it as 'firmum et dulce', that is full-bodied and sweet.

ROSSO DI VALTELLINA DOC — This name identifies the DOC wines produced in several areas along the Rhaetian mountainside (more than 130 hectares). It is produced at higher altitudes, up to 700 m a.s.l.. The grapes are minimum 90% Nebbiolo and 10 % Rossola and Pignola. A maximum harvest of 10.000 kilos is allowed and the minimum ageing is 6 months. It is full-bodied and has a good structure, refined by the local varieties of the Nebbiolo grapes. This is the classic Valtellinese wine: generally ruby red, simple and pleasant, it pairs any dish, but the perfect match is that with the traditional Valtellinese cuisine.

SFORZATO DI VALTELLINA DOCG — THIS IS NOBLEST VALTELLINESE WINE AND THE FIRST ITALIAN RED DRY RAISIN WINE TO OBTAIN THE DOC LABEL IN 2003. The Sforzato or Sfursat di Valtellina DOCG is the result of the selection of the best Nebbiolo grapes that - following an ancient tradition – are harvested and laid out on lattices inside dry and well-ventilated rooms, called “fruttai”: this names derives from the practice of prolonging the ripening of grapes.

VALTELLINA SUPERIORE DOCG — The production area of this wine has the best sun exposure and stretches out from Berbenno in Valtellina to Tirano, with ca 200 hectares of wineyards. It includes five subareas: Maroggia, Sassella, Grumello, Inferno and Valgella (from West to East). This wine is produced using Nebbiolo grapes and is made according to a rigorous production protocol that preserves its high quality.

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