One of Italy’s loveliest wine regions, producing luscious red wines, is still very much overlooked by even the most knowledgeable wine tourists. Hidden in the north of Lombardy along the Swiss border, the Valtellina wine region stretches along the river Adda from Lake Como on the west to Bormio and the foothills of Stelvio National Park to the east. This unique and dramatic landscape, where one must avoid stepping on the occasional cactus while admiring snow capped mountains looming just a few miles away, is the birthplace of one of Italy’s best red varietals, known locally as Chiavennasca, but better know as Nebbiolo.

Like many other wine regions in Italy, wines have been produced here in Valtellina for more than 2,000 years. In this northern alpine climate, farmers learned that the grapes ripened better when grown high up on the sunny steep hillsides. They built complex terraces, constructing retaining walls from the dark grey bedrock and transporting sandy topsoil from the valley floor. They favored one particular grape, which they called Chiavennasca, in the local dialect “the best grape for wine.” Even hundreds of years ago, the wines from Valtellina were prized – Leonardo Da Vinci was a fan, and the monks brought cuttings with them on their travels west, bringing their favorite grape to their new home in Piedmont.

I had the opportunity to explore these dramatic vineyards first hand during a visit to Nino Negri, the largest producer of this small region. My host Olivier drove me up a narrow winding road (his favorite daily cycling route) to Negri’s Inferno vineyards. Inferno is one ot the five Valtellina subzones, indicating the grapes come from small set of vineyards known to produce quality wine, similar to the French “cru”. Inferno is aptly named, home to the very steepest terraces in Valtellina, making is extremely difficult to work. Negri uses a helicopter to airlift the grapes out of the vineyards during harvest, as the steepest vineyards are inaccessible to vehicles. The steep pitch of the slope results in a near 90° angle between the ground and the sun even at this northern latitude. Oliver relates that in the heat of the summer, workers here begin their day at 6am and finish by 2pm to escape the brutal sun. The dark rock of the terraces reflects the heat, baking the workers from both sides.

We step over cacti growing in cracks in the warm rock, carefully descending down one level of terraces to get a closer look at an old structure perched on this hill, with NEGRI written down the side. Oliver informs me that this is the original drying loft for their Sfursat di Valtellina. This unique wine is a passito secco style wine; a dry red wine made with dried grapes; a very similar process used in the Valpolicella region to produce their famed Amarone. The best bunches of Nebbiolo are selected and laid out to dry, now in plastic pallets in a newer facility, but originally on straw mats in the top floor of this building on the hill. Prevailing winds, called the “breva” and “foehn”, blow up and down this valley, through large open windows of the loft, naturally drying the grapes. The grapes spend about 3 months drying, loosing 30-35% of their weight. This concentrates the sugars, which during the fermentation process are converted into alcohol, resulting in an intense, dry, high alcohol wine.

I’ve visited numerous Amarone producers, and know that wine dates from 1936, evolving out of the area’s traditional sweet wine, Recioto. I was surprised to learn from Olivier that Sfursat wines predate Amarone wines. The sfurzato/passimento process came here from the Swiss in the 1600s, and was always used to produce a dry wine – there is no sweet red “Recioto” equivalent in this wine zone. Negri produced it’s first commercial Sfurzat in the early 1950s, about the same time the first Amarone were introduced.
The view from these terraces is spectacular. Looking to the east, the peaks of the Stelvio National Park loom, still covered in snow. To the west, more steep slopes covered with terraced vineyards – the hill just to our east with a church at the top is the Sassella subzone, the next one down the valley with the ruins of an ancient fort at its’ summit is Grumello. The Nino Negri winery owns 31 hectares in Valtellina, 2 in Sassella, 11 each in Grumello and Inferno, and the remaining 7 in Fracia in the Valgella subzone.

We return to the winery, located in the town of Chiuro in the historic Palazzo Quadrio. In the 1400s, Venice and Milan were at war, and a local captain Stefano Quadrio was instrumental in assisting the Duke of Milan in his victory over the Venetians. The Duke rewarded Quadrio by naming him governor of Valtellina and giving him the Palazzo. Quadrio began cultivating grapes and producing wine at his new estate, his original cellars remain under the Palazzo today. The Quadrio family eventually sold the Palazzo to the Galli family. In the late 1890s, a daughter of the Galli family married the son of a hotelier from nearby Aprica, Nino Negri.

Nino Negri inherited the estate in 1897, and entered the wine business. His family had a network of carriages to transport guests to and from their hotel to Sondrio, Negri put it to use to transport his wines. Negri’s son Carlo took over the business, but Carlo’s children had no interest in the wine industry, so it was sold to a Swiss bank. In the 1980s it was purchased by Gruppo Italiano, a large conglomerate in Italy focused only in the wine industry. It may be a large company, but they run Negri well. Since 1971 they have supported the efforts of current winemaker Casimiro Maule, who has made Nino Negri a success. In 2007, Casimiro was named “Winemaker of the Year” by Gambero Rosso, and his wines continually receive awards and high ratings from international wine publications like Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast.

The Valtellina region produces only 3.5M bottles per year. Negri is the largest producer, representing 30% of the total market. It has its 31 hectares of vineyards, but also buys grapes from many small local farmers. In the mid 1980s, there was an export freeze on Italian wines, the response to a wine contamination scandal that left at least 20 persons dead from methyl alcohol poisoning. This freeze forced Italy to suspend all wine exports until they could be certified as safe. As a result, demand for Italian wines tanked, and the small local growers with no income were in dire straits. The leadership at Negri stepped up and made a promise that they would purchase all grapes from local farmers as long as they adhered to Negri’s quality guidelines. The majority of the farmers took the offer, and survived the crisis. Since them, some have left the Negri fold to pursue their own path, but most remain, happy to know their grapes will sell year after year.

Olivier next led me on a tour of the cellars. There were several aging rooms, from the historic cellars first built by Nino to more modern rooms, all filled from floor to ceiling with aging barrels of all shapes and sizes. The age of the barrels themselves varied, from new barriques to large barrels from the original cellar that date from the late 1800s. Many were from Italian barrel producers using a variety of oaks – French, Slavonian, even American. Each possess a unique flavor profile and different oxygen exchange qualities. Blending wines from different sizes and ages of barrels gives the wines more complexity.

There are a seemingly endless number of barrels, giving the impression that Negri produces a vast amount of wine. But when you account for the fact that every wine Negri makes spends time in a barrel, most at least two and some as many as four years, you begin to appreciate how much cellar real estate that requires. These barrels hold multiple years of production.

We step into one cellar that holds some of the largest barrels I have ever seen. Before I can ask, Olivier tells me that these barrels, originally used to brew beer, were moved into place and the cellar built around them. These were constructed after WWII to sell to the Swiss market, newly opened, but only to producers located in Valtellina.

The very last aging room we visit contains a series of newer mid size barrels. Olivier describes the latest technology that is being used to produce these barrels – when first selecting the wood for each barrel, a laser is used to analyze the content and to characterize each piece. This information is used to design a barrel to deliver a specific flavor profile – spicy, oakey, subtle. A producer can now order a specific flavor profile and get a barrel customized to create a very particular style of wine.

And of course, a thorough study of the wines from Nino Negri must end with a tasting! The Nebbiolo wines here in Valtellina are distinctly different from the Barolo from Piedmont. They are typically lighter in color, with higher acidity and lower alcohol content due to the alpine climate – although the effects of global warming have increased the alcohol in recent vintages. The sandy soil produces wines that can be a bit fruitier, with milder tannins, ready to enjoy at a younger age. But many, especially those from the most prestigious vineyards, age very well.

LE TENSE Sassella Valtellina Superiore DOCG

During the rule of the Swiss in the 1500s, the finest vineyards were referred to as “tense”, i.e.“protected” by the guardians of the vines, the arbostrari. This is the origin of the name “Le Tense”, which is representative of the finest vineyards of the Sassella subzone.

This 13.5% alcohol wine is aged over two years in wood: 80% is one- and two-year-old French and American oak, and 20% in large Slovenian casks.Dark in color for a Nebbiolo. Raspberry and cherry, with notes of coffee, spice and dried fruit. Robust and round, with soft tannins and well-balanced acidity.

INFERNO CARLO NEGRI Valtellina Superiore DOCG

Inferno is the smallest of the four Valtellina Superiore DOCG subzones. Negri started producing Inferno in 1945.

Light ruby red. Warm inviting nose with black pepper and blackberries. Fresh, elegant and well-balanced palate. Drink with red meats and hearty pastas.

Nino Negri Valtellina Superiore Riserva DOCG

Ruby-red. Warm nose of cherry with notes of spice and licorice. Robust harmonious palate with a persistent finish with a pleasant minerality. A wine to savor with rare meats.

CASTEL CHIURO Valtellina Superiore DOCG Riserva

In 2017, 120 years since the winery was established, Casimiro Maule decided to pay tribute to Carlo Negri and his important history with a new edition of Castel Chiuro, his most famous wine produced since the 1950s in the wine cellars of the castle, which is still home to the winery.

Aromas of red fruits, rose and anise. Full-bodied, with flavors of sour cherry, leather, and spice. Smooth elegant tannins with a well-balanced persistent finish.

SFURSAT CARLO NEGRI Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG

Sfursat is derived from a selection of Valtellina’s finest grapes that are subjected to “forced” natural drying. The resulting wine is particularly intense and high in alcohol.

Intense garnet color. Warm, intense nose of dried fruits with spicy notes of cloves, cinnamon, and black pepper. Savory and warm, with flavors of cherry and prune with notes of leather and licorice. An elegant, persistent finish.