Valle d'Aosta
Situated in the northwest corner of Italy, Valle d'Aosta is the smallest of the country’s 20 wine regions. Vineyards cover 925 hectares, of which Valle d’Aosta DOC registered zones total 66 hectares. The annual wine production of the entire region is approximately 29,000 hectolitres including 3.5% hectolitres of DOC wine. Many of the grape varieties in this region have obscure names such as the red grape varietals Neyret, Vien de Nus, Fumin and Mayolet, and the white grape varieties, Blanc de Morgex, Prie Blanc, and Petite Arvine. The main regional grape however, is the Picotendro, a local version of Nebbiolo. In addition, both the Moscato Bianco, here known as Muscat Chambave, and the local Pinot Grigio, called Malvoisie in the Chambave and Nus areas are made into fruity wines that can be either sweet or dry. The wines of the Valle d’Aosta are influenced heavily by the terroir composition of a rocky, gritty, semi-fertile mixture and by high altitude.