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Valtellina wines, arborio rice, Taleggio and Grana Padano all hail from Lombardia

#ItalianFWT Visits Lombardia, FoodWineClick Digs into Valtellina
The month of May brings our Italian Food, Wine & Travel (#ItalianFWT on twitter) group to Lombardy (Lombardia). Located in north central Italy, Lombardy is the home of much of Italian industry (Beretta), fashion (Milan!), and also for its beautiful lakes region including the well known Lakes Maggiore, Como, and Garda. Franciacorta sparkling wines hail from this region. Valtellina? Most have never heard of Valtellina, a winegrowing region up to the north, in the foothills of the alps. Valtellina will be my focus for the month!

Lombardy map courtesty of http://www.wineandtravelitaly.com

Valtellina – Almost in the Alps
Valtellina Superiore and Sforzato di Valtellina are two DOCG wines which are made only in this small, northern region. I was excited to try these red wines, as they are based on the Nebbiolo grape, a favorite of mine.  In normal European fashion, the wines are labeled for the town or region, so they are called Valtellina.  In addition, they have another name for the Nebbiolo grape here: Chiavennasca. Just to keep us all guessing.  The Valtellina valley runs east-west, carved by the Adda river.  Like many winegrowing regions in cooler climates, the vineyards are all situated on the steep, terraced north side of the river so they can maximize heat and light from the sun.

Valtellina map courtesy of Tasting Panel and Somm Journal.

Does Place Really Matter? Can You Taste It?
Within the Valtellina Superiore DOCG, there are 5 sub-regions: Maroggia, Sassella, Grumello, Inferno, and Valgella.  Each sub region has its own character, with Inferno being well established as the warmest of the five. This post is all about comparing two almost identical wines from the same winery and same vintage, with nearly identical vineyard practices and treatment in the cellar.  Inferno vs. Sassella, can you tell the difference?

Valtellina Superiore from two neighboring hillsides

Side by side Comparison of Stats

The % alcohol, acidity and residual sugar numbers were also very similar. Judging by the numbers alone, you would guess you’d have trouble telling these two wines apart.   Wrong!

That beautiful pale ruby color catches the light

Nino Negri Sassella “La Tense” Valtellina Superiore DOCG 2010 ($30)
Eye: Clear, pale ruby with an orange edge
Nose: Medium + intensity, the aroma comes out of the glass to greet you.  Cinnamon with evergreen needles, followed by red fruit.
Mouth: A boldly textured wine with lively acidity and strong tannins. Flavors include red cherries & evergreen.
Somehow different from Piemonte, this is clearly recognizable as Nebbiolo. All that power and structure from such a pale red liquid in the glass, how do they do it!

Inferno comes from the hottest of the 5 sub-region hillsides

Nino Negri “Inferno” Valtellina Superiore DOCG 2010 ($25)
Eye: Clear, pale ruby color with an orange edge. Side by side in equal light, these two wines look virtually identical.
Nose: Initially shy, I needed to get my nose deep into the glass to really smell what was going on.  Dark red fruit, ripe black cherries, a bit of evergreen but in the background.
Mouth: Full bodied, it’s very tannic but the acidity seems to be either low or very well masked.  Blind, I would have a hard time pegging this as Nebbiolo, except for that pale color!

I was shocked how two wines from neighboring hillsides on the same side of the river, grown, vinified and matured almost identically, could be so different. Whether or not you believe in terroir, place matters.

Flank steak and asparagus make a full meal, but risotto is the star

Taleggio washed rind cheese adds a rich, earthy element.

Forget Parmigiano Reggiano, in Lombardia you eat Grana Padano

Make sure you sample with wine with food!

Italian Food Wine & Travel Lombardia Reports
Join our Twitter chat Saturday May 7th at 10am CDT @ #ItalianFWT to chat about Lombardia. Plus, don’t miss next month as we feature our last region of Italy, Liguria.  This will complete our first full tour of Italy.  See you June 4th!

Vino Travels –  Chiavennasca of Lombardia vs. Nebbiolo of Piedmont
The Wining Hour –  Vines and Views of Valtellina Valley
Culinary Adventures of Camilla – Sbrisolana and Cantina Casteggio Barbera
Girls Gotta Drink –  Visit Franciacorta Wine Region: Italian Sparkling Wine For the Win!
Enofylz Wine Blog– Franciacorta: The World Class Italian Sparkling Wine of Lombardy #ItalianFWT
Food Wine Click – Valtellina: Another Expression of Nebbiolo
Orna O’Reilly –   Sirmione: Pearl of Lake Garda
The Palladian Traveler – Spritz Campari: Milan’s Passionate Red Cocktail
Cooking Chat – Grilled Halibut with Parsley Pesto and Wine from Lombardia
L’Occasion –  36 Hours in Lombardy
Vigneto Communications – Lombardia: A Wealth of Wine

Notes on Risotto di Lombardia
To be clear, the risotto is the star of the show here.  Think of the flank steak and grilled asparagus as convenient American additions to turn a single course into a full meal. Arborio and Carnaroli rices for risotto are grown in the Po valley, which runs directly through Lombardia.  Taleggio and Grana Padano are both PDO (protected origin) cheeses from Lombardia.  Both are readily available all over the US, so try to get the real thing. Taleggio is one of our favorite washed rind cheeses.  They are soft cheeses whose rinds are literally washed with another ingredient during aging.  The washed rind grows a special type of bacteria unique to the cheese and the wash.  The smell can be off-putting at first (a little like used gym socks, or a wet dog, yum), but the flavor is so good!

As for the pairing, wonderful! While the wines tasted quite different side by side, they matched the meal nicely.  Great structure and restrained fruit flavors played very well with both the steak and the risotto.  I would say I didn’t love the color the red wine produced in the risotto although the taste was just fine.  In future, I’ll stick with white wine, the risotto is just so much prettier!