Valtellina Superiore

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Sandy (70%) and silty (18%) soils, free of calcare: decomposed granitic bedrock, low clay content (<10%), high permeability.
• Exclusively south-facing exposure on the Rhaetic slope of the Adda valley, between 300 and 700 m, sheltered to the north by the Rhaetic Alps (>3,000 m) and to the south by the Orobian Alps.
• The alpine amphitheatre and the proximity of Lake Como (to the SW) ensure a thermal buffering effect and an average annual rainfall of only 850 mm.
• Diurnal temperature range of 8–20°C at the end of ripening (late September/early October) and over 1,900 sunshine hours per year.

• Terraced vineyards and dry-stone walls estimated at more than 2,500 linear kilometres date back at least to the Roman era, if not to pre-Roman times (Ligurians, Etruscans).

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A1036
• Official trade body site — Consorzio di Tutela dei Vini di Valtellina