I spent last week in Livigno in Northern Italy, a picturesque town in the Alps, almost 2,000 metres above sea level bordering Switzerland. The skiing itself was top class and being Italy, the food and wine was also top class.
Being more familiar myself with the north easterly Friuli and the neighbouring Piedmont region, my interest and passion for Lombardy was reignited each evening during après-ski. Lombardy is known for its sparkling wines from the Franciacorta and Oltrepò Pavese areas, as well as its white wines made from Trebbiano, but it was the reds produced from Nebbiolo grapes of the Valtellina region that really caught our attention.
Valtellina is an east-west valley north of Lake Como between the Retiche Alps and the Orobic Alpine foothills. Sforzato Della Valtellina was my choice of wine to bring back from Livigno. A connoisseur’s delight, it is one of the great wines of Italy. It is almost exclusively made from Nebbiolo, the grape variety behind Barolo, which was introduced to the area in the 14th century with the development in trade growing in earnest between the 16th and 18th century when Valtellina was under the rule of the Swiss.
Sforzato or Sfrusat is a dry wine obtained from drying the best Nebbiolo grapes harvested in the most well exposed vineyard in the regions of Valtellina and Valtellina Superiore. The grapes are left to ripen for longer than most, and the result is a long aging wine of great intensity, with lively red fruit and incredible earthy, rustic leather and tobacco overtones.
I’ve opted for the Casa Vinicola Sforzato, a 2002 vintage recommended to me by a local wine merchant. I also brought back a Barbera d’Alba (couldn’t help myself). I look forward to both with great anticipation.
3 Comments
Matt,
Livigno is a great spot for food and wine. I have been there many times skiing and snowboarding.
There is a German deli down the town called Paul’s and in the basement is a fabulous collection of great wines from all around Italy.
The last time I was there in 2007 a number of wine bars were starting to opening up.
My only grief about the place is the transfer from the airport. Too long for young children.
Loved the local wines too. Really fresh.
Regards,
Conor
Cant believe Matt is back from yet ANOTHER holiday. How many holidays can one person take in a year ? :)
Lovely post as always.
M
Fabulous place, Conor. We flew into Innsbruck in Austria. The transfer was only three hours, but on the way back we had to travel during the night which was a bit rough. Would go back in a heartbeat. That wine merchant I bought off seemed fairly new – name is Mi Wine.
Moz, life’s too short to drink crap wine, that’s true, but it’s also too short not to have any fun. Plus, I’ve been reading a book recently that proved to me money is better spent on experiences than material goods. So I hope this won’t be my last little adventure before 2011 is out…
:D