Valtellina, the largest terraced wine-growing area in Italy where “beauty is a creation of agriculture”

It is a small Italian “gem”, but it is also the largest terraced area in Italy. Its ecosystem is rich in biodiversity, from apple orchards to forests, and its unique characteristic is the 850 hectares of heroic viticulture vineyards. The terraces are a strategic design (acknowledged as an Historic Rural Landscape and its dry stone walls are a UNESCO World Heritage Site), in the dialogue between the mountain climate and well known temperature variations of the Alps, and breezy and sunny Lake Como, forming a highly suitable wine terroir. Most of all, it is an example of a territory where “beauty is a creation of agriculture” and where man works together with nature. The result is a harmony made of history, knowledge and identity found in its mountain wines, starting from Sforzato DOCG the unique Nebbiolo delle Alpi wine, whose native vine boasts a thousand-year history. Alongside Valtellina Superiorie DOCG (the only wine-growing area in Italy to boast two joint DOCG in the same production area) and Valtellina DOC (the average production is 3 million bottles, with the five sub-areas Maroggia, Sassella, Grumello, Inferno and Valgella), it is the symbol of the territory and its strong link to tradition. Plus, the small winemakers, farms, wineries, historical and emerging personalities - there are 2.000 winemakers - are constantly studying to improve while narrating the present and future of the territory, thanks to acknowledgement of critics around the world, from “Wine Spectator” to “Wine Enthusiast”.
Valtellina is focusing on the combination of wine, beauty and landscape (that WineNews narrated in a video, and which we are republishing in the winter season as it is one of the most popular destinations, thanks to its food and wine, but also to its cheeses such as Bitto, Casera PDO, Pizzoccheri and Bresaola della Valtellina PGI, as we reported in our column, Agenda, ed.), which the Consortium for the Protection of Valtellina Wines is organizing and managing, creating a system to promote its uniqueness and its quality wines, as a tool to enhance tourism.
The “Lonely Planet” 2023 guide has also acknowledged the destination, especially highlighting the Valtellina Wine Route and the journey through vineyards, terraces and breathtaking views - 67 km of panoramic roads - to tell the story of the territory’s excellent wines in a new and immediate manner. Just recently Valtellina’s excellent products were showcased to professionals from the HORECA (hotels, restaurant, catering) world and passionate wine lovers at “Identità Golose” held in cosmopolitan Milan. There was a tasting of Valtellina wines accompanied by a pairing of special dishes created by Edoardo Traverso, executive Chef of the International food and wine hub, designed to enhance the unique organoleptic characteristics and to completely immerse oneself in the marvelous province of Sondrio.
“Valtellina wines are becoming more and more interesting to customers and the International press, especially of Northern Europe and the USA”, Danilo Drocco, president of the Consortium told WineNews, “who have finally realized that there is a Nebbiolo in Valtellina as well”. And, also that here in Lombardy, it creates different wines, which are lighter, more vertical and have totally different scents compared to Barolo, in Piedmont, “due to the the Valtellina winemakers’ skills and climate change, making Nebbiolo become easier to drink because of its great pleasantness, freshness and flavor, which are the characteristics that consumers now look for in contemporary wines”.
However, the future is not only in the glass, it is also the territory, Cristina Scarpellini, president of the Provinea Foundation, explained, “to protect the dry stone walls, the producers have a Terracing Notice from the Lombardy Region available to support maintenance-reconstruction work, and an ongoing call from the Lombardy Region, which has finally established two lists, one for the Historic Vineyards and one for the Heroic Vineyards. These will therefore allow us to register the vineyards and facilitate financial planning”.
Isabella Pellizzatti Perego of the historic ARPEPE winery explained to WineNews, “we are lucky, because an Agricultural School has been founded recently in Valtellina (the Istituto Tecnico Agrario di Sondrio, ed.), to keep many young people here who would otherwise leave a “difficult” territory to move to the plains, away from animal husbandry. Now, instead, they are in love with their roots, and are deciding to stay here to continue the family business, and producing their first wines, which was not happening just a few years ago”.
Along the roads in Valtellina, next to the “capital” Sondrio, one comes across villages like Bormio, famous for its ski slopes and thermal waters, Tirano, at the foot of the Alps and where the Bernina Red Train starts, and Chiavenna, with its medieval Castle, artistic beauty such as the Renaissance Palazzo Besta in Teglio or the Sanctuaries of Our Lady of Loreto and the Madonna della Sassella, and natural beauty such as the Stelvio National Park, the largest Italian historical park. The strategic consultant Giacomo Mojoli (who coined the phrase, “beauty is a creation of agriculture”, ed.), said “creating a system also means improving local catering, valorizing artisans, and not talking about niche productions, but quality that will last over time”.