Sforzato di Valtellina

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyard sits on the south-facing slope of the Rhaetic (retico) side, between 300 and 700 metres in altitude, with the sole exception of two alluvial fans in the widest part of the valley.
• The valley is sheltered to the north and east by the Rhaetic Alps mountain chain, with peaks all above 3,000 metres and some summits exceeding 4,000 metres.
• To the south, the Orobie Alps chain, with slightly lower peaks, encloses the valley in a kind of amphitheatre.
• The vineyard soil is predominantly sandy (approximately 70%) and silty (approximately 18%), free of limestone, derived from weathered granitic rock, with a rare clay content of less than 10%.
• The soils are inherently shallow, with a workable layer ranging from 40 to 120 cm, and it is not uncommon to see vine roots penetrating directly into fissures in the bedrock.

• Lo Sforzato is produced from grapes left to dry on loft racks until they lose approximately 30% of their water volume, following careful selection of healthy, ripe bunches at harvest.
• From 1550 to 1797, Valtellina was part of the territory of the Lega Grigia, today the Canton of Graubünden, which encouraged the first export trade of the wine to the courts of central and northern Europe.

• The substantial mass of stones and rocks in the dry-stone terrace walls, combined with gradients in some cases exceeding 70%, means that air temperatures in the vineyard are consistently 4–5 °C higher than on the flat valley floor.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A1035
• Official trade body site — Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini di Valtellina