From: Valtellina, Italy
Varietal: Nebbiolo
100% hand harvested Nebbiolo (locally called Chiavennasca). Grapes are sourced from different vineyards more sandy than rocky.
Umo is fermented with indigenous yeast in stainless steel tanks (no temperature control) and aged for 6 months in used big casks and refined 3 more months in the bottle. Unfined and unfiltered.
Taste: An elegant example that has exceptionally bright fruit, freshness and a warmth, but not heaviness. The flavor profile is marked by red cherry, roses, tar and lavender. This wine is medium bodied with lively acidity.
Pairing: Perfect paired with Bresaola or other cured or air dried meats. Here you will find the recipe for a Valtellina tradition, Pizzoccheri (which have nothing to share with pizza. Pizzoccheri are namely the rustic buckwheat and wheat flour noodles originating from this same area).
http://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/01/pizzoccheri-della-valtellina.html. It’s worth the time and effort, if the food and wine pairing thing is your bag.
The grower. Forty-something Giuseppe Guglielmo grew up in the vineyards, spending there the whole childhood and his teenager years, but like so many kids of parents and grandparents who made wine, he first plied his trade elsewhere. What happened? Agriculture was in deep crises and people were leaving wine villages in Valtellina heading to Milan and some other industrialized places in Lombardia to make money. Giuseppe spent several years as an auto part mechanic and part-time beekeeper, before he was called back to the vineyards in 2002 taking over his father-in-law’s vineyards.
Giuseppe and his wife took the wine plunge in 2002, originally selling their grapes to others. The first wines under their own label came from the 2009 vintage, and here we are just some years later, with the 1st ever export shipping to New York State.
