Italy's Alpine Wine Region: Exploring the Valle d'Aosta

Tucked into the remote hills of northern Italy is the Valle d'Aosta, the most isolated of the country's wine producing regions. Home to thirteen indigenous grapes, the rocky soils of Valle d'Aosta produce wines that are distinctive and may remind you more of what's produced over the border in France. (photo by cortomaltese)

This January we'll sample some of the wine and food of Valle d'Aosta. It's a part of Italy's wine culture that can be easily overlooked, since the grapes used are sometimes unfamiliar and not much of the juice finds its way into American markets. (photo of the Grosjean vineyards by dinerologyii)

I had some trouble getting my hands on wine from this part of Italy, but I've managed to find both a red (more than $20, I'm afraid) and a white (less than $5, I am happy to report--but it was on sale).

With our wine I'll be making some traditional food from the Valle d'Aosta--fonduta, which is the Italian version of fondue, served warm over squares of fried polenta. How does that sound for winter comfort food? The people of the region also love their soup. A traditional saying is: "Soup does seven things: it calms hunger and quenches thirst, fills the belly, cleans the teeth, makes you sleep, makes you lean, and gives color to your cheek." Some of their soups are downright casserole-y in consistency, and I'm going to try my hand at making Scuppa de Cogne, which sounds like a cross between French onion soup and risotto. (photo by christianocani)

If you have had any experiences with Valle d'Aosta wine or food, I hope you'll share them in the comments.