Aosta Valley (Valle d'Aosta) is Italy's smallest and least populous region, just one-eighth the size of neighboring Piedmont. It covers a mountainous corner of Italy's far northwest, where the nation's borders meet those of France and Switzerland. Despite the region's small size and minimal fame, a wide range of both red and white wines are made here from a selection of both native and introduced grape varieties, the most important of which is Picotendro, the local form of Nebbiolo.
Nestled among the Graian Alps, the region's backbone is a narrow mountain valley that runs southeast from the heights of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe, to the border of Piedmont. The viticultural part of the valley extends between Morgex et de la Salle (home to some of Europe's highest vineyards) and Donnas – a distance of about 45 miles (70km). Along this route is the city of Aosta itself, along with the DOC subzones Enfer d'Arvier, Torrette, Nus, Chambave and Arnad-Montjovet.
Most vineyards in the Aosta Valley occupy the steep, south-facing slopes above the Dora Baltea river, a tributary of the Po. The dramatic topography and diminutive size of the valley mean that the area available for viticulture is limited and much of the valley floor, with its mineral-rich, well-watered soils, is simply too fertile for quality viticulture. As a result, many of the best vineyards here are on the lower slopes, and climb steadily up the slopes to top altitudes of around 4200ft (1300m) above sea level.
The climate in the Aosta Valley is somewhat unusual for an Alpine wine region; its location on the sheltered side of the Western Alps means that it falls in a rain shadow and enjoys warm, dry summers. However, these warm, sunny days are followed by much cooler nights and various techniques are employed by vignerons to temper the worst effects of this diurnal temperature variation. The most visible of these is the training of the vines into pergolas, which helps to evenly distribute ground heat to the vines in the cold nights.
Most of the fragmented vineyards in the Aosta Valley are cut into terraces for a range of reasons. The most important reason is for ease of accessibility during harvest, but the terraces also help to slow erosion. The thin, rocky soils here are both alluvial and colluvial in origin, and provide a stressful environment where vines must work hard to survive. This stress tends to result in the production of high-quality grapes with a good deal of concentration.
Aosta is clearly influenced by its neighbors; French is the official second language here, and French grape varieties are just as common here as Italian varieties (Chardonnay and Gamay grow cheek-by-jowl alongside Nebbiolo and Dolcetto). In addition to the more familiar grape varieties, the Institut Agricole Régional has indexed a selection of native regional grapes, some well suited to use in single-variety wines, others used only in blends. Petit Rouge is arguably the most important of these (besides Picotendro), although Fumin and Vien de Nus are also widely used, creating taut, spicy red wines. Fruity white wines are produced in both dry and sweet styles, from Prie Blanc, Moscato Bianco and Pinot Grigio.
Around three-quarters of Aosta Valley wine is produced by several cooperative wineries, which between them have around 450 grower-members. Less than a quarter of the region's annual production qualifies for DOC status and the majority is sold locally. Although the Aosta Valley has no DOCG titles, this is not necessarily an indication that there is no high-quality wine of interest produced here. The curious mix of grapes, terroir and culture provides intrigue in this region’s wines.
