Leanne Altmann's Visit to Valtellina

Jul 6

Written by Leanne Altmann.

In the very north of Lombardy, teetering on the edge of Switzerland, lies the region of Valtellina.

In January, I flew into Milan en route to a wine exhibition in Piedmont. With a few days to spare, a visit to Valtellina seemed too good an opportunity to miss. Cut to a few months later, and it’s my current vinous obsession.

Departing from the imposing, imperial surrounds of Milano Centrale, the train wends its way along the eastern shore of Lake Como and a mere hour later arrives in Sondrio. Stepping out from the station into a European winter, the feeling is immediately different: the air crisp and clean, the snow-capped Alps visible along the boulevard of the main street.

Valtellina is a long narrow valley, running west to east between the pre-Alps – the Alpi Retiche – and the foothills of the Alps. The vineyards cling to the mountain, the south-facing plots basking in the sun, whilst across the valley, the north-facing slopes remain in shadow. This is the home of bresaola and of the mountain cheeses Bitto Storico and Valtellina Casera, of fine cool climate apples and fragrant Valtellina Superiore DOCG, and above all, of pizzocheri.

The village of Teglio, in the subzone of Valgella, is the home of this local delicacy – a short, rustic pasta made from coarsely ground buckwheat (precisely how coarse depends on the village that you’re from) that’s boiled with potato and cabbage, then layered with Casera and basted with brown butter until the cheese melts to a sauce. This is hearty alpine food, always prepared the same way – and although I was assured that the locals eat it year-round, I can’t imagine a better time to indulge than in the depths of winter.

But of course, I’m primarily here for the wine.

We may be just 90 minutes’ drive from some of Italy and Switzerland’s finest ski fields, but on the south-facing terraces for which Valtellina is famed, the sunshine hours rival Sicily’s. And indeed, this can even be seen in the winter landscape, where on the valley floor the morning frost and a smattering of snow lingers until late in the afternoon, whilst on the sundrenched terraces, vineyards are interspersed with olive trees, prickly pear and succulents. The highway stretches along the valley, and it’s hard not to be distracted by the vineyards whilst driving: they dominate the landscape. In the depths of winter, when the dormant vines are devoid of leaves, the architecture of the terraces is most exposed. In summer, seeing the swaths of vibrant green canopy clinging to the south-facing slope must be glorious.

This is the home of Chiavennasca. For an historic-yet-emerging region like this, it’s interesting to see the producers who proudly label and talk about their wines the traditional local name, and those who use the more familiar – and more easily marketed – synonym Nebbiolo. The wines of Piedmont’s Langhe – Barolo and Barbaresco – are the obvious comparison to draw here, the variety is the same after all – but these are alpine wines, defined by their place, its cultural history, and the people who tend the vines. Where Barolo and Barbaresco are structured and seemingly ageless, marked by firm tannin and the tar-and-roses perfume of the Langhe’s rolling hills, Valtellina Superiore is a lighter expression of the variety. Fresh, herb-scented and stony, Chiavennasca can be a little lighter in alcohol, with silky tannin structure.

This is an immensely parcellated vineyard area, and strung along the valley are the named sub-regions - their influence on the wines is noteworthy. In a region that’s so influenced by the mountains, there’s no homogeneity in the wines – site is of great importance. The fruity wines for drinking in youth – or even chilled - are sourced from lower-lying areas and labelled Alpi Retiche IGT or Valtellina Rosso DOC; the finest site expressions in the terraces are Valtellina Superiore DOCG, often with a sub-region or vineyard name attached.

The larger wineries seem prepared to welcome enthusiasts visiting the region in a way that other more famous European regions perhaps are not, which makes this an exciting place to taste and explore. The growth of this region in recent times reflects the availability of the wines in Australia – Elena Fay of Sandro Fay estimates that in 1990 there were perhaps 16 producers, now there are closer to 60. These vary in size and in quality, with one significantly large producer balanced by some medium-sized benchmarks and some smaller avant-garde winemakers.

The arresting labels of Barbacàn alone are enough to attract attention, but they are the terroir-ists of the region, remaining fiercely adherent to the local pruning techniques and vineyard diversity, experimenting with amphorae, hand-off winemaking and the production of both Rosato and skin contact Bianco. Barbacàn’s concentrated Valtellina Superiore from the single site Sol, within sub-region Valgella, is the wine I generally reach for, although the opportunity to taste their rare dried-grape Sforzato 2022 from tank was thrilling, fragrant with rose and violet, ink and liquorice.

Family-owned Sandro Fay are one of the producers who went forth into the world spreading the gospel of Valtellina, and their wines were my first introduction to the region. Also based in Valgella - the sub-region is named for the natural springs that run down the stony slopes, called valgel in the local dialect - the Fay family take joy in expressing the particularities of their individual sites, with each vineyard expressing elevation and varietal character with clarity. With the Valtellina Superiore appellation allowed only for red wines, in 2014 they purchased a plot of land below the tower of Teglio at 830 metres and planted an experimental Chardonnay vineyard. The resulting wines are fine and stony, with fresh acidity that expresses the elevation, balanced by a profile of ripe nashi pear and fresh-cut white peach.

Rainoldi are a producer of some scale, with holdings in the sub-regions of Valgella, sun-baked Sassella and lower-lying Inferno. The impactful 2015 Sassella Riserva Vigna del Apostoli was a standout, savoury and complex with notes of balsam and dried strawberry, and mouth-filling tannin. Since the 1980s they have had a growing reputation for a traditional method sparkling rosé made from Chiavennasca and a smattering of the local rarities Pignola and Rossola. Grown at the highest altitude possible for acidity and finesse, it’s super dry, with a perfume of white flower, nectarine and mountain herbs, with the bread-like complexity of bottle ageing.

If we hadn’t alighted at Sondrio, the train from Milan continues along the valley to Tirano, with its gracious Renaissance basilica. From here, you can change to the UNESCO-listed narrow-gauge train Rosso del Bernina, which journeys from Tirano through the mountain pass and into Switzerland. The locals stopped in their tracks and cheered as the tiny train emerged from the station on its way towards St Moritz. Heading in the other direction, towards the northeast, the town of Bormio has been known for its hot springs since Roman times. But for a beverage professional, Bormio also appeals for the opportunity to visit the cellars of Bràulio. This bitter alpine digestive is a particular favourite of Gimlet’s bar manager Cameron Parish – he wouldn’t stand for a bar without it - and the Riserva version is aged for several years in Slavonian oak casks resting in the cellars that lie beneath the pharmacy where the recipe was first developed.

Returning to explore the grand city of Milan, I expected to find wine venues with deep selections of Valtellina, instead discovering shelves and lists laden instead with the famous names of neighbouring Piedmont. Perhaps this small, distinctive region remains a hidden gem, even from the Lombardian locals. We’re fortunate to have some of the region’s most exciting producers available in Australia now. So instead of a glass of Chiavennasca, I leaned against the bar in the elegant nouveau surrounds of the Camparino on the Piazza del Duomo, out of place when surrounded by elegant elderly women in floor-length fur. I sipped Campari Shakerato, watched the low sun glint off the cathedral’s marble spires, and contemplated the mountains.

Leanne’s recommendations in Valtellina

Wineries to visit:

Sandro Fay (Booking required - https://www.vinifay.it/it/visita.html)
Rainoldi (Booking required - https://degustazionivinivaltellina.it/en/)
Arpepe (Booking required - https://www.arpepe.com/visits-and-tastings)
Barbacàn (not available for public visits)
Dirupi (not available for public visits, can sometimes be booked by hotels)