📍 Aosta Valley

The Aosta Valley is the smallest region of Italy, set in the Alps in the north-west of the country, on the border with France and Switzerland. Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn tower over the valley. People speak both Italian and French, and many wine and grape names are French.

Vineyards sit on steep terraces along the Dora Baltea river, often up to 1,200 metres high. Summers are dry and sunny, nights cold, so wines are fresh with lively acidity. These are among the highest vineyards in Europe. The total area is small, and almost all the wine is drunk by locals and tourists.

Many rare local grapes grow here. Reds include Petit Rouge, Fumin, Cornalin, Vien de Nus and Neyret. Whites include Prié Blanc, used in Morgex and La Salle on the slopes below Mont Blanc, and Petite Arvine. Pinot Noir also grows here, as does Nebbiolo, called Picotendro locally.

For comparison with its neighbours: south of the valley lies Piedmont, where Nebbiolo gives Barolo, and to the north across the passes the Swiss canton of Valais, where Petite Arvine is regarded as one of the best local whites.