Nus is a sub-region of the Valle d'Aosta in the Alpine northwestern corner of Italy. This sottozone, centered around the town of Nus, just to the east of Aosta city, produces two distinct wines: the red Nus, made from Petit Rouge and Vien de Nus, and the white Nus Malvoisie, made from Pinot Grigio.
The vineyard zone of Nus lies in the very center of the Valle d'Aosta, where the Dora Baltea river flows west to east before turning south around Arnad-Montjovet. As in much of the valley, the land around Nus rises steeply from the river and vineyards are located on both the north- and south-facing slopes.
The climate in Valle d'Aosta is continental, although fairly unusual for the Alps. Being on the eastern side of the westernmost Alps (separating Italy from the French region of Savoie), the area is in a rain shadow and experiences a dry, sunny growing season. Warm, sunny days are followed by much cooler evenings, slowing ripening and ensuring grapes develop with a good balance of ripeness and acidity. The best grapes come from the sandy south-facing slopes, where exposure to sunlight ensures a high level of concentration in the grapes.
The wines made in Nus reflect the larger region's warmer climate, and the red wines are intense and herbaceous with red fruit characters. These wines must be made primarily from the Petit Rouge grape that is grown throughout the Valle d'Aosta, as well as the rare Vien de Nus, which is native to the area. Other Aosta red wine grape varieties such as Fumin or Gamay may complete the final 30 percent of the blend. To qualify for superiore status, the wine must be aged for eight months prior to release, instead of the usual five.
The white wines from Nus must be made entirely from Pinot Grigio, but this can vinified in a range of ways. Dry wines are labeled as Nus Malvoisie, and sweeter styles, made from air-dried grapes, are labeled as passito or flétri depending on their levels of alcohol.
Like many of the Valle d'Aosta sottozone, the steep slopes around Nus only have small areas suitable for cultivation and a minuscule amount of wine is made here. The region's thriving tourism industry ensures that little of this is seen for sale outside of the Valle d'Aosta.
