Description

In 1984, Arturo Pelizzatti Perego, rich with experience from his father’s and grandfather’s wine estate, gave birth to Arpepe, with the objective of developing to its full potential the unique growing area that is the Valtellina.  Embodying all the pride and tenacity required for such an undertaking, he started off by producing a long-aged Nebbiolo, following the dictates of the centuries-old local tradition. Today, Isabella, Emanuele and Guido continue the work of their father, with the invaluable assistance of carefully selected, state-of-the-art technology and a passionate and youthful team.

Valtellina is a glacier-carved valley set in the Alpi Retiche and Orobie, extending 120 km from the Stelvio Pass to the Como Lake. The south-facing terraced vineyards are set into the Alpine slope like some precious jewel, and they are warmed by the sun from dawn to sunset, tempered by the cool winds from the north. The dry-stone rock walls hold in the nutrient-poor soils composed of flaked metamorphic rock; here, since pre-Roman times, the roots of the Nebbiolo delle Alpi have found nourishment for developing a rich genetic diversity that has no peer. Today, at harvest, the clusters are carried on the pickers’ shoulders in small baskets to the cellar, hewn into the mountain, where the juice is fermented in acacia, chestnut, and oak large barrels.

Rosso di Valtellina is the most faithful expression of each growing year, reflecting their characteristics year after year. There could be, therefore, pronounced differences from one vintage to the other, but it remains nonetheless a wine intimately bound to its own corner of its land. The Valtellina Superiore grapes are harvested at 350-400 metres’ elevation, the ideal conditions for growing a crisp, fruit-rich wine. After fermentation, the wine matures 6-12 months in large barrels to ensure the easy drinkability of a wine that will be enjoyed on a daily basis.

-The Vine Press