Mountain Magic: The Wines of Valle d’Aosta 

BY IAN D'AGATA | JUNE 19, 2018

Valle d’Aosta is the dwarf, size-wise, among Italy’s 20 regions, but it’s a giant when it comes to quality. Thirteen unique native grape varieties and a half dozen international grapes, the region’s complex geology and alpine climate, and the area’s many passionate, talented producers combine to produce a selection of white, red, sparkling and sweet wines of remarkably high quality in all but the most difficult vintages.

A Torrette vineyard

An Alpine Paradise

Nestled against Italy’s border with France and Switzerland and situated high in the Alps, Valle d’Aosta is, at about 1,260 square miles, Italy’s smallest and least densely populated region. And because Valle d’Aosta was under French rule at various times throughout its history, family names such as Gerbelle and Charrère are more typical of the region than the Bianchi, Rossi or Verdi last names that common throughout the rest of the Italy. You’re also just as likely to find pomme (apple, in French) on a menu as you are mela (which again means apple, but in Italian). Much of the native population (especially the older generation)  also speaks Valdôtain, or Patois, a dialect of Arpitan (of Franco-Provençal origin). Sadly, the younger generations are losing some of that linkage with the past.

In the end, what matters most is that Valle d’Aosta is one of the most beautiful places in Italy, its waterfall-rich countryside dotted with numerous well-kept ancient Roman sites and medieval castles, and upper reaches of the area literally blanketed with towering evergreen forests. Not surprisingly, the region boasts some of the country’s best ski resorts. For those who enjoy winter sports, names like Courmayeur and Cervinia are just as famous as Gstaad, Chamonix, Whistler and Aspen. 

Wine Facts and Figures

Over the last ten years (2005-2014) wine production in Valle d’Aosta has ranged from 16,800 to 22,000 hectoliters per year. Only in the strongly weather-challenged 2014 vintage did production volume drop nearly to an all-time low, about 14,500 hectoliters. If Valle d’Aosta’s wine volume declines from time to time due to vintage vagaries, the high quality of its wines rarely wavers. As a result, the value of the region’s wine production has been steadily increasing (up 59.3% over the last five years, compared to a 43.3% increase for wines from the rest of Italy over the same time period), from roughly 14 million Euros in 2008 to 22 million Euros in 2014. More so than almost any other region in Italy, Valle d’Aosta’s wines are mostly of the (supposedly) higher-quality DOC level. From a ten-year low of 55.7% in 2005, DOC wine production increased in 2012 to 95% of Valle d’Aosta’s total wine output. In other words, Valle d’Aosta is not the place to look for buying must or bulk wine. In fact, Valle d’Aosta’s problem is not the quality of its wines but their very limited quantities, as many estates make fewer than 10,000 bottles of wine per year.

At last estimate, Valle d’Aosta has 463 hectares under vine (but note that the region featured roughly 3,000 hectares before phylloxera struck here at the beginning of the 20th century), of which 301 hectares are DOC vineyards. Most of the wine estates in the region are very small family-run affairs. Approximately 67% of those who grow grapes in Valle d’Aosta own 0.2 hectares of vines or less! Clearly, this makes it difficult for the region and its producers to gain much notoriety beyond local borders. 

The Wine Grapes of Valle d’Aosta