Steep stakes

The grape that thrives here is Nebbiolo, known locally as Chiavennasca—the “Nebbiolo of the Alps,” as Guido has it. It grows on sandy loam weathered from metamorphic rock, and the altitude, he says, lends the wine “a vertical freshness, an innate elegance, and a razor-sharp minerality that cannot be replicated anywhere else.”

Mamete adds: “Over the centuries, this grape has perfectly adapted to the valley’s microclimates, developing distinctive traits that make it exceptionally suited to an alpine environment… On these slopes, the grape achieves one of its most elegant and terroir-driven expressions.”

Newer infrastructure has eased some of the load. On the gentler sections, motorised monorails carry crates of grapes down to the nearest road, while in the steepest, most cut-off parcels, growers occasionally resort to helicopters to lift the fruit straight to the winery before it spoils. It is both labour-intensive and costly.

Climate change has brought harsher extremes—heatwaves one week, sudden downpours the next—but it has, Guido says, also forced the region to adapt. “Protecting our historic dry-stone walls and ensuring the quality of the grape clusters now requires extra care,” he says, “but we view managing these new climate dynamics as an essential investment in the future of Valtellina.”

Technology is starting to fill some of the gaps. “Autonomous drones for targeted treatments and automation systems offer promising new avenues,” Mamete says, and the Consortium is funding much of the research itself. 

“This type of technological innovation would bring great benefits to a territory like ours,” Guido comments. The valley has long relied on cableways to bring grapes down the slopes, and the systems going in now are markedly more capable than what came before.

One of the hardest problems is generational. “We need to attract and train a new demographic of professionals capable of maintaining the ancient dry-stone walls,” Mamete says. The stakes run well beyond the vineyards: the masonry holds back soil erosion and landslides, making it vital, in his words, to “the ecological safety of the entire valley.” A widening labour shortage sharpens the difficulty. 

“Finding the right hands for this dedicated work is a challenge,” agrees Guido, “but it is also our greatest opportunity.” Bring new people to the craft, he adds, and “we can safeguard these unique slopes and ensure that no more vineyard acreage is lost.”

Like any wine region, Valtellina wants to be better known. The recent rise in estate-bottling growers, Guido says, “proves that our viticultural heritage is a precious asset, unique in the world and capable of generating real economic value”—and a reason for young people to “build a future in these mountains”. To that end, the Consortium has put serious money into promotion at home and abroad.

Geography works in its favour, too. The valley lies just north of Milan, a short hop from Lake Como, shares a border with Switzerland and connects directly to alpine names like St Moritz and the Engadin. This past winter it staged events for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

For Mamete, the terraces are “an authentic, open-air museum, showcasing humanity’s historic ability to adapt a complex mountain environment for viticulture”. 

Yet none of it can be taken for granted. “In a land like ours,” says Guido, “fighting tooth and nail to preserve this heritage requires immense passion and resilience.” The Consortium and the valley’s growers mean to see these vineyards through to the next generation, taking on new tools without letting the slopes slip away. They deserve our support.