Italian Wine Laws DOC(G)

Italian wine law and labels was introduced in 1963. They were designed to copy the French AOC/AC system.

Strict rules defines grape varieties, yield limits, grape ripeness, winemaking procedures, barrel and bottle maturation, and tasting procedures. Each bottle must have a numbered government seal.

The DOCG was created in 1980 in response to the criticisms that there were too many DOCs and their quality was variable.

• DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata)
  Regulates production areas, grape varieties, bottle and barrel aging, alcohol levels, and vinification techniques.

• DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita)
  The highest classification. Same regulations as DOC. In addition, each DOCG-labeled wine must be bottled within the production area and pass a wine quality tasting panel.

Valtellina DOC(G)

Valtellina produces 3 categories of Nebbiolo wines:

• Valtellina Superiore DOCG
• Rosso di Valtellina DOC
• Sforzato di Vallentina DOCG

Valtellina Superiore DOCG Areas

DOCG villages for Valtellina Superiore are: Grumello, Inferno, Maroggia, Sassella, and Valgella, and the village name is indicated on the label.

If Stagafassli appears on the label, it is not a subzone. It indicates Valtellina Superiore wine aged and bottled in Switzerland, with grapes from Valtellina in Italy.

About Valtellina

"A valley surrounded by high and terrible mountains. But they make really powerful wines." was the summary provided by Leonardo da Vinci in his sketch collection "Codice Atlantico".

Valtellina is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy on the border to Switzerland. It is one of Italy's smallest wine regions, with dramatic high altitude vineyard landscapes, angled as solar panels to the south, on steep slopes and tiny terraces.

Most of the wines in the region are red wines produced on the grape Chiavennasca, a local Nebbiolo varity named after the city Chiavenna.

Italy's greatest grape Nebbiolo, has the local name Chiavennasca in Lombardia, Spanna in northern Piemonte, and Picotener in Val d’Aosta.

Valtellina Wine Road

Valtellina Strada del Vino is a 70 km panoramic road through the terraced vineyards where "Nebbiolo delle Alpi" is made.

The road runs from Ardenno to Tirano in the valley.

On the road, there are wineries that provides wine tasting, guided tours, and the possibility to stay overnight, discover traditional dishes "like grandma used to", while drinking local Valtellina wines, and meat the locals who work in the mountains.