VAL d'AOSTA, ITALY
100% Petit Arvigne
The Winery:
Grosjean Petite Arvine Vigne Rovettaz is a highly regarded white wine from Italy's Valle d'Aosta, described as deep, structured, and vibrant. It is characterized by aromas of dried lemon peel, sage, apricot, and petrol, offering a medium- to full-bodied palate with a creamy, waxy texture.
Tasting Notes:
Bright, fragrant notes of citrus, fennel, green melon, and crushed stone lead to flavors of dried melon and apples with a, waxy undertone and a nice touch of bitterness. A food wine extraordinaire!
Pairings:
Preserved pig and cow parts are very big in the Val d'Aosta, and the town of Arnad is home to lots of great places to taste them, especially the Lardo di Arnad DOP, which has its own festival in August.
The Region:
Visit the Val d'Aosta Region. It's a different Italy
If you enter the Aosta Valley from Piemonte to the south via the Autostrada E25, you'll quickly realize that you're in a different world. Town names seem to be in French. Green shutters give way to staunch brown ones. Your hotel looks German. Orange roof tiles have given way to gray slate.
Valle d'Aosta is small. It is the smallest, least populous, and least densely populated region of Italy. Unless you ski in peak winter season, you're likely to have great swaths of incredibly beautiful land all to yourself.
Italian and French, as you have discovered, are both official languages.
As a border land, there was need for many forts and castles. Before you get to Aosta from Piemonte, stop in at Fénis to take a tour of Fénis castle, one of the most famous of the Aosta Valley and first mentioned in 1242. You find the castle conveniently on a small knoll right in the center of town. Just down the winding path is MAV, the Museo dell’Artigianato Valdostano di tradizione. You'll find traditional local handicrafts of the folks of the valley, like the carved forest figures to the right of the castle. For the view of the castle like you see below, stay across the highway at Hotel Comtes De Challant which also serves very fine food of the region in its restaurant.
