Valtellina — a valley at the foot of the Alps
Today we are in Valtellina, a mountain valley in northern Lombardy at the foot of the Bernina Alps. The Adda river flows through the valley and into Lake Como. Pastoral calm, silence, vineyards on terraces — everything as it should be.
And in this pastoral setting they make something unusual: a dry wine from dried grapes. Meet Sforzato di Valtellina, also known as Sfursat di Valtellina, and in local dialects Sfusat. All correct.
It is one of the region’s two DOCG wines (the other is Valtellina Superiore). The vineyards sit on terraced slopes at an altitude of 350–800 metres, on granite and sandy soils.
Where the name comes from and how it is made
The word comes from sforzare — “to press, to squeeze out”. It refers to the local tradition of pressing grapes prepared by the passito method. That is, by drying.
The berries are laid out on straw or bamboo racks in special ventilated rooms — fruttai. Spoiled ones are sorted out beforehand, of course. They are left for 2–4 months, usually until 10–12 December. The grapes just lie there, bothering nobody. This is appassimento, the straw wine.
Or the berries are dried in drying machines. It is no longer appassimento, but the point is the same: moisture leaves and the sugar level rises. During drying the berries lose 30–40% of their weight.
The dried grapes are pressed and the must is prepared. It is fermented with a long maceration — 15–20 days, with no added sugar. But if the grapes went to vinification before 1 December, the material is lost.
The finished must is set to ferment. The process runs in steel tanks, followed by aging in old oak barrels. The sugar level is carefully controlled. This is how dry passito wine is made.
However, the minimum strength of the finished drink is 14%, and often as much as 15–16%. For a dry wine that is quite hefty. And 14% is the minimum.
Sforzato is released to the market after 20 months of aging, of which at least 12 are in wood. Some producers keep it in oak for all 20 months.
The variety: Nebbiolo, or Chiavennasca
Sforzato di Valtellina is made entirely or at least 90% from Nebbiolo — from nebbia, “fog”. The Valtellina valley is rather foggy in the mornings, and the variety is happy about that. Fussy, the rascal, like a young lady of marriageable age.
A late young lady: the variety sets, flowers and ripens late, right up to the frosts. It is sensitive to terroir, but shows its features wonderfully. It is grown mostly under the Alps, although there are small plantings in the New World too.
The local name of Nebbiolo in the Valtellina valley is Chiavennasca. The DOCG rules require at least 90% Chiavennasca, and up to 10% other local non-aromatic red varieties.
Curiously, with age Nebbiolo loses a lot of colour. From a deep ruby it turns brick-coloured.
It is also used for Amarone della Valpolicella, but we will talk about that another time.
DOCG and bouquet
Sforzato di Valtellina was the first Italian dry red passito wine to receive DOCG status, in 2003. For comparison: Amarone received its DOCG only in 2011.
The bouquet is rich. Sweet spices — liquorice, clove, cinnamon. Fragrant, even somewhat heavy prune, raisin, rose, resin. Professionals describe it as “tar and roses”. What can you do, sommeliers have the same imagination as art critics.
Full-bodied, with dense tannins, mineral freshness and a long finish. The alpine terroir preserves acidity even after long drying.
Related wines
For context: Tokaji Aszú is made from botrytized grapes — dried by the noble rot Botrytis cinerea. Eiswein is made from grapes frozen on the vine. And the sweet nectar Cinque Terre Sciacchetrà from Vermentino — yes, it is similar. It is made by the same method.
What to eat with it
Besides the wine, Valtellina is also an Italian semi-hard cheese made from fresh cow’s milk. Of medium maturity. A mature cheese goes well with Sforzato, but a young one should not be served.
Such a wine needs no sweets. And you should not smoke.
A small glass in the fresh air, with thoughts of distant, beautiful and alluring Italy — that is the ideal pairing.