📜 Sforzato di Valtellina
A dry red wine from sun-dried Nebbiolo grown on the mountain terraces of Valtellina.
Sforzato di Valtellina is a dry red wine from partly dried Nebbiolo. It is made in Valtellina in northern Italy, in Lombardy near the Swiss border. The name is protected as a PDO.
The vineyards lie on steep mountain terraces built by hand. The local name for Nebbiolo here is Chiavennasca. After harvest, bunches are dried for several months on special racks or in crates. The berries lose water and the sugar concentrates. Then the juice ferments to a dry wine. So it is high in alcohol: usually at least 14%. The wine is thick, dark and intense.
Sforzato is related to other Valtellina wines, such as Valtellina Superiore. The word "sforzato" means "forced" or "strengthened", but it is strengthened only by drying. The wine is usually aged in barrels and then in bottle. It is drunk in small servings with aged cheeses and meat. Bottles are usually not cheap, because the grapes are dried and less wine comes out of them.
How it connects to Wine
📜 Sforzato di Valtellina ← main grape of ← 🍇 Nebbiolo → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Where it is
- 📍 Valtellina
- Main grapes
- 🍇 Nebbiolo
- Wines
- 🍷 Red wine, 🍷 Still wine
Frequently asked questions
What is Sforzato?
A dry red wine from partly dried Nebbiolo from Valtellina.
Why is it high in alcohol?
The grapes are dried, so there is more sugar.
Where is it made?
In Valtellina, Lombardy, northern Italy.
Similar
📜 Valtellina Rosso · 📜 Valtellina Superiore · 📜 Alpi Retiche · 📜 Lessona · 📜 Barbaresco · 📜 Carema
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.