AOSTA VALLEY
03 Feb 2023
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In the last thirty years, the wines of the Aosta Valley have had a remarkable qualitative growth, testified by the numerous recognitions at national and international level both on the occasion of wine competitions and by sector guides and magazines. The presence of vines in Valle d'Aosta dates back to the Bronze Age as evidenced by the discovery of grape seeds in the archaeological area of Saint-Martin-de-Corléans in Aosta. Finds from the 1st century AD in premises probably used for pressing testify to the presence of wine in Roman times.
Today the vine is grown on terraces supported by dry stone walls, so widespread as to characterise the landscape in an unmistakable way. Looking at the vineyards torn from the mountain and planted on dizzying slopes, one immediately understands the origin of the attribute "heroic viticulture". The wine-growing activity of the region develops along the valley floor which from Pont-Saint-Martin and Donna's climbs in less than 90 kilometres up to the 1,200 metres of Morgex, on the slopes of Mont Blanc. Scarce rainfall, constant ventilation and significant temperature variations between day and night lead to rapid ripening of the grapes and development of the peculiar aromas of the various vines. The particular climatic conditions of the Valle d'Aosta - together with the characteristics of the land and their exposure and slope - have certainly not made life easy for winemakers. However, the recovery and enhancement of vine cultivation in Valle d'Aosta has created a wide and qualified range of prestigious mountain wines, brought together under a single Denomination of Controlled Origin Valle d'Aosta - Vallée d'Aoste, declined in 7 area sub-denominations and as many as 31 referring to specific grape varieties and types of winemaking.
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