Territory | Casa Vinicola Aldo Rainoldi

Valtellina is a unique territory, rich in history, culture and biodiversity. It is located in the far north of Italy, in Lombardy, in a special climatic position. It is considered the most important mountain vine-growing region in Italy, the third in Europe. It is the second largest Nebbiolo producing region in the world.

The mountains are said to put their signature on the wines of Valtellina and, not surprisingly, the Nebbiolo grapes from this valley express the rocks and mountain.

For this reason, it is unique, special, elegant, contemporary, but at the same time, beyond time and timeless. In Valtellina, the vineyards hang from the mountains, suspended on spectacular terraces made of dry-stone walls.

They are nestled in the woods, able to capture and store the heat of the sun. A sort of Mediterranean scrub in the heart of the Alps, where cacti, agaves and olive trees grow.

This biodiversity typical of Valtellina transmits a “Valtellina style” to the grapes and wines, a style projected into the future, designed with the values of sustainability, respectful of nature and the environment.

However, good ideas only have a future if they have a story to tell, if they are able to interpret people’s values, desires and aspirations. Since 1925, the Aldo Rainoldi Winery has been all this, a dynamic relationship with the past that has allowed us to always marvel at the future.

Live with us a unique tasting experience in Valtellina.

Viticolture

Here the Nebbiolo grapes - locally called Chiavennasca – are able to give fragrant, very refined and long-lived wines. Chiavennasca, from the dialect "Ciù Vinasca", means "more vinous", as it was already known by the Benedictine monks in the twelfth century: they actually first acknowledged that this vine had a great potential and could adapt to the soil and typical climate of Valtellina.

Valtellina wine is indeed a high quality wine. It is the result of various factors. First, the orientation to the South of all the vineyards and their steep slopes, which gives them an extraordinary exposure to the sun. Secondly, the extensive temperature range between day and night, typical of sunny and dry autumns, which allows to have healthier grape bunches and more aromatic wines. Also the light, shallow, loose soils, which are never wet and above all with limited yield per hectare. Finally, the average age of the vineyards is over 60 years and that guarantees the best quality.

Really unique vineyards in need of great care, attention and exclusively hand-made labour. This viticulture on hilly slopes requires around 1,200 working hours a year per hectare – four times as many as the time needed for hill viticulture – and the harvest sometimes gets carried out with the help of a helicopter to carry the picked grapes from the terracing to the valley.

With over nine hectares of land directly managed and with the precious contribution of over sixty trustworthy collaborators, supervised by the company’s agronomist, Aldo Rainoldi Wine House producesthe wines of the principal denominations, corresponding to the areas of Rosso di Valtellina Doc and Valtellin a Superiore Docg. The latter denomination groups together the subzones of Sassella, Grumello, Inferno and Valgella, guaranteeing the quality of the most interesting Chiavennasca.c