Wine & Food

In a valley where cows graze on alpine meadows and vines cling to the very same slopes, cheese and wine sit closer together than almost anywhere else. Fontina, the protected raw cow's-milk cheese, appears on tables throughout the valley. Nearly every traditional dish in the region is built around it.

Seupa à la Vapelenentse shows this most clearly: layers of stale bread, plenty of Fontina, and beef broth, baked in the oven into a dense, cheesy mass. Petit Rouge or Torrette suits it better than any heavy wine. The acidity cuts through the fat without overwhelming the mild cheese.

Lardo di Arnad, seasoned cured pork fat from the village of the same name in the Arnad-Montjovet subzone and holder of its own protected designation of origin since 1996, calls for more contrast instead. Salt softens tannin. That's why a young Fumin works surprisingly well here, its robust tannins suddenly turning round rather than hard alongside the rich fat.

With Carbonade, beef braised in red wine with bay leaf, cloves, and cinnamon, the logic reverses. The dish needs a wine with just as much power, and an aged Picotendro from Donnas holds its own without being overwhelmed by the spices. Mocetta, wafer-thin slices of cured beef or chamois, calls for something lighter instead. A simple, young red wine is enough, as long as it brings plenty of acidity.

By the very end of the meal, red wine usually isn't on the table anymore. Sweet chestnut tarts or the spicy alpine herb liqueur Genepy from the valley pair better with a late-harvest Prié Blanc or a small glass of grappa. By then, the dry red wine from the terraces has long since done its job.