The effort: the king of the Valtellinesi wines

Valtellina has now entered our hearts and after the first trip between the heroic Nebbiolo delle Alpi, we return to talk about this splendid valley again but this time with a acceso the main wine of the region, the effort.

The Valtellina territory, a unique wine -growing reality quanto a the heart of the Alps

Valtellina is a vast superficie of ​​Lombardy, of great history and beauty, which runs south of the Rhetic Alps and north of those Orobie. It is surrounded by high and famous mountains: Bernina which with its 4049m is the highest point not only of the region but also of the central Alps, the Gran Zebrù 3851m, the Cevedale 3769m and the misfortune 3678m (we grant this digression because we are passionate mountain). It has east-west orientation, so that while the Orobic slope quanto a the north is cold and shady, the rhetorical one quanto a the south is instead hot and decidedly absorbed. It is acceso the latter that the vine is grown and where the famous artificial terraces quanto a stone of the vineyards develop, the UNESCO heritage since 2018. The climate has constant ventilation with contained rainfall, excellent brightness and above all a high thermal excursion, amplified by heat stored by the support stones of the walls. The is mainly sandy with the absence of limestone. Durante general it is very permeable and has very little retention.

An ancient story

Wine and Valtellina are an ancient combination. It seems that the first news quanto a this regard date back to 837 when the monastery of Sant’Ambrogio of Milan entered into a contract with this Gaudenzio Intorno a Delebio for the spirito of the precious bevanda. It is from the Middle Ages, however, that wine production and trade become crucial. Matteo Bandello but above all Leonardo attraverso Vinci talk about it, when traveling to Bormio will write: “At the culmine of the Valtolina it is the mountain of Bormi. Terrible full of snow (…). Baggi is the bathrooms. Valtolina as called the Circumadata Valley of high terrible mountains. It does very powerful wines. ” Bormio herself will become a very rich center thanks to the wine trade and the ad hoc decrees of the Visconti and Sforza. For example, the one issued under Francesco Sforza dates back to 1451: it is sanctioned that only the inhabitants of Bormio can trade the wine of the Valtellina abroad (especially towards the grays and territories of the Sacred Roman Coronare, current Austria and Germany). Gian Galeazzo Sforza will reconfirm the decree quanto a 1484 and the subsequent Sforzesque laws will reiterate the faculty of Bormio quanto a imposing exclusive duties and tolls.

What is the effort, the prince of the Valtellinese wines

We modo to the effort now. Here the name does not refer to the Milanese dynasty, as for the process of “stressing” the grapes, to concentrate them to generate a greater structure and power. The bunches, quanto a fact, once collected, are not pressing but placed quanto a traditional fruit ora quanto a special premises where their slow and constant process of drying begin. It is a stadium that leads to a partial natural dehydration of the grapes capable of concentrating their characteristics, giving them the typical . To regulate, this step lasts until the beginning of December. After that it is possible to start the pressing phase and only after 20 months of aging (of which at least 12 quanto a wood), that of marketing. Thus was born the effort of Valtellina ora Sudrsat, the first dry passito red wine quanto a Italy to have achieved the DOCG quanto a 2003. The vineyards quanto a charge are located along the whole valley but tended to a greater height than the underzone Margia, Sassella, Grumello, Tormento and Valgella and can reach 700 meters above sea level. The grape variety, as for all the aforementioned subzones, is always the Nebbiolo (here called Chiavennasca) which, however, for the particular production procedure, reaches a much higher alcoholic gradation, acceso average between 15 and 17 degrees.

Our tastings

We now modo to our tastings: as always we are talking about personal ideas and without presumption of exhaustiveness.

Bambino Negri 5 Sudrsat

It is one of the historic cellars of the valley over 120 years behind them. The 5 celebrità is its flagship product: rich, complex but above all characterized by a truly admirable, perfect balance. The color is an intense grenade, wood, tobacco and plum emerge quanto a the nose, quanto a the mouth it relaxes envelopingly with a aftertaste of berries for a very long, memorable ending.

Aldo Rainoldi Ca ‘Rizzieri

Floor effort of another cellar with a long history, founded quanto a 1925. The color is an intense ruby ​​red, cherry and black cherry emerge, but also spices, grapes passed with hints of discesa and tobacco. Durante the mouth it is full, enveloping, velvety, for a feeling of great softness.

Sandro Fay Ronco del Picchio

Also quanto a this case, we are talking about a longtime cellar, active since 1973. His effort Ronco del Picchio comes from the San Gervasio vineyard quanto a Teglio located 750 meters high while the name recalls the small forest located close to the vineyard . Red fruits, cherry and blackberries emerge acceso the nose. Durante the mouth it is large, powerful, with a great capable of mitigating important alcohol, for excellent persistence.

Mamete Prevostini Albreda and Cortigiani intorno a Cama

Two products of great interest. The first presents itself with an intense grenade red color and an elegant, complex perfume, with raspberry agenda, blackberries but also plums quanto a spirit, alpine herbs, licorice and chocolate. Durante the mouth it is warm, full and savory. The second, has a similar olfactory profile but is drier and with an interesting ending, a little fresher while inserted quanto a the typical power of this wine.

Pietro Nera Strivato

It presents itself with a ruby ​​red color tending to the grenade with aging. The nose emerges hints of raspberry and purple, acceso the palate a pleasant tannic note rises, overall it is savory and persistent.

Effective Menegola

Wine of family tradition, with activities based quanto a Castione Andevenno where wine has been made since the mid -nineteenth century. His effort was born from screws with over 35 years of age, he is refined for 12 months quanto a barrique, 12 months quanto a oak barrels and over 60 months quanto a the bottle. The nose is an explosion of agenda: strawberry, cherry, undergrowth emerge. Durante the mouth it affects its incredible softness, it is velvety despite its massive full -bodied, of great balance, round. The ending is very long.

Marchetti Maria Luisa the he

It is a very different effort from the previous one. We are talking about a muscle wine, of great power and with a high alcoholic rate (17 degrees). It is a decidedly particular bevanda, less soft and more robust: raspberry and berries emerge acceso the nose; Durante the mouth it is decidedly full, pleasantly tannic, with an absolutely long ending.

As always, these are just some of the choices quanto a such a varied world such as that of the Valtellinesi wines, rich every time of splendid surprises, almost jealously hidden among the secular dry stone walls and the great peaks of the Alps.

Estremo Beltrame