Project Description
One of Italy’s top wineries, perched high in the steep hillsides of Valtellina.
Casa Vinicola Nino Negri, founded in 1897, is headquartered in Chiuro in the old fifteenth-century Castello Quadrio. It is one of the most renowned wineries in Valtellina and a synonym for Valtellina wines all over the world.
Nino Negri owns 31 hectares of vineyards across the most prestigious of the Valtellina Superiore D.O.C.G. subzones: Inferno, Sassella, Grumello, Fracia, a monopole vineyard located in the Valgella subzone.
Due to the extremely steep hillsides, Nino Negri’s estate is characterised by terracing, a system based on dry stone walls that support the terraced hillside vineyards built thousands of years ago to allow cultivation of the land. The sandy, silty base tends to be dry as it retains very little water and is highly permeable. The shallow soil has an arable surface of between 40-120cm and it is common to see vines take root in the cracks between the rocks.
The steep hillsides provide the perfect environment for Nebbiolo to thrive in. The steep slopes allow optimum exposure to the mountain sun as well as protection from the cold winds, and the wide temperature ranges between day and night encourage the expressive uniqueness of the king of grape varieties, Nebbiolo, locally called the Chiavennasca.
Great commitment is needed at every moment of vine cultivation in Valtellina, a difficult and labour-intensive area to cultivate. For over 100 years, Nino Negri has given this commitment, nurturing the grapes’ potential and literally handcrafting wines of superior quality and character.
All vineyard work, including vineyard management and harvest is done entirely by hand along the terraces supported by a myriad of age-old dry stonewalls, a symbol of this valley. During the harvest the grapes are transported down the mountain by helicopter so as to get them to the winery as quickly as possible.
After more than forty harvests, Casimiro Maule, chief winemaker and historical director of Nino Negri, left to Danilo Drocco the winery where he started his career in 1971, when he was chosen by Sciur Carluccio – Mr. Carlo Negri, at the time owner of the winery.
Danilo Drocco, an experienced manager and winemaker with extensive knowledge of the Nebbiolo universe, is the new head of the historical Valtellina Nino Negri winery since April 2018. With a degree in Oenology from Turin University, he has worked in prestigious Italian and Piemontese wineries, covering key-roles that helped him reach the top of the winemaking profession and building invaluable experience that he has brought to Nino Negri.
WINES
Nino Negri Sfursat 5 Stelle Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG
A highly alcoholic and richly flavoured wine which shows exceptional balance, depth and complexity: a classic Sfursat.
Nino Negri Vigneto Fracia Valtellina Superiore DOCG
A wine made from Nino Negri’s first vineyard, this is a wine that marries floral flourishes with sweet spice and plummy fruit notes in an elegant and complex elixir.
Nino Negri Inferno Valtellina Superiore DOCG
Inferno takes its name from the intensely hot temperatures of the vineyard where it grows. The extremely steep slopes and pale rocks give maximum exposure and temperatures during the day which help to perfectly ripen the grapes for this wine.
Nino Negri Castel Chiuro Riserva Valtellina Superiore DOCG
Castel Chiuro captures the essence of a “Nebbiolo delle Alpi”: simple and welcoming yet enticingly captivating. The Riserva is aged for at least 60 months in oak to allow it to develop a deep complexity.
Nino Negri Sfursat Carlo Negri Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG
This wine displays the classic concentrated aromas and flavour as well as high alcohol of Sfursat.
Nino Negri Ca’Brione Bianco Alpi Retiche IGT
This white wine is a blend that shows Nino Negri’s mastery of winemaking in an area known almost exclusively for its red wines.
Nino Negri Sassorosso Grumello Valtellina Superiore DOCG
This Valtellina Nebbiolo comes from the town of Grumello and displays the complex combination of floral notes mingling with sweet spices overlaid on a backbone of red fruit.