This is Valtellina in northern Lombardy. The valley was formed by
the river Adda, which runs through it and flows into the lake. The
architecture is fairly ordinary but the steep towering mountains are
impressive. On a trip there earlier this year, I was to learn of four
special delights that were produced there - two to eat and two to
drink.
The most famous product from these parts is Bresaola, a delicious
air-dried beef. It is a sort of a cousin to Parma ham except from
the cow rather than the pig. It is said that in the 15th century,
when cattle fell or slipped to their doom in the mountains, the locals
developed this method to preserve the meat. In fact, only the rear
hind quarters are used. The head of the production consortium was
kind enough to abandon his dignity by turning round and indicating
the precise part that is involved.
Local farm output has now been superceded by industrial scale production
and I visited the Rigamonti factory to see the Bresaola being prepared.
It is controlled by Simonetta Rigamonti, the granddaughter of the
founder. After donning my not very prepossessing, albeit hygienic,
galoshes, white coat and shower cap, I saw vast numbers of cow haunches
being loaded into vats to marinade in sea salt, pepper and juniper.
It is then netted and dried in carefully controlled cool air for six
weeks. During this time the brown colour turns to a greeny- grey.
Then it is showered and warm dried before finally being chopped in
half for inspection, vacuum packed and dispatched to the lucky customers.
Although the factory is glistening with galvanised vats and steel
drying chambers, it is still very much a "hands on" process.
There are three different cuts: Topside, silverside and rib eye. Each
has a slightly different flavour and all are delicious. Bresaola is
a classic antipasto and is particularly good served with rocket,Parmesan
flakes and a dash of lemon juice.
Now it was time for a drink. The steep valley sides do not look very
accommodating but, in fact, clinging precariously there are vines.
The vineyards are surrounded by dry stone walls and the rows have
roses planted at the end. These are not for decoration but offer an
early warning system for possible blight.
Since 1998, the area has boasted a Denominazione di Origine Controllata
e Garantita (DOCG), Valtellina Superiore. This is subdivided into
four sections, Sassella, Inferno, Valgella and Grumello. What a marvelous
excuse to visit four wineries!
First stop, that of Sandro Fay where the son, Marco, showed us over
a very modern cantina. The vast brown casks that stored the wine looked
rather like elephant torsos. He proudly showed us the new, smaller,
French oak barriques (barrels) in which they were ageing the vintages.
He had trained in Barolo, the famous wine area in neighbouring Piedmont,
where the local Nebbiolo grape is used. We then went to a chapel like
building up in the vineyards for a tasting. On through the vine terraces
to a recently restored farmhouse of the Bettini Brothers. Here we
were given a rustic lunch of bresaola, cheese and rye bread served
on wooden platters while tasting their wines. Pietro, the son of the
owner, told us that for centuries their main market had been Switzerland
because of its proximity. Until the 1990's they had enjoyed partial
exemption from duty but this had now stopped which had spurred the
wine producers into action to innovate and improve their production
methods. Certainly the contents of the bottles in front of us tasted
good.
Onwards to Nino Negri, one of the largest producers. Their cellars
are in a splendid castello which gives an historic sense of the timeless
tradition of wine making. We were taken to a restored drying house
up on their property, such places are used in the production of a
speciality wine named Sforzato. This involves selecting some of the
best grapes and leaving them on the vine for an extra six weeks then
drying them before making the wine. This concentrates the sugars and
produces a strong, mellow alcoholic wine which apparently is good
for drinking at the end of a meal as an aid to meditation!
My final stop on the grape tour was Arturo Pelizzatti Perego, easy
to find because high up in the vineyard terraces, reminiscent of the
Hollywood sign, in giant letters is the name "Pelizzatti".
He had a brush with multi-nationalism when a Swiss consortium bought
up the business but he has been able to reacquire some of it. He now
concentrates on producing quality wines. He didn't sell any for a
few years in order to allow it to age and produce optimum vintages.
My resolve cracked and I bought three bottles which are now ageing
further under my stairs in London.
His daughter, Isabella, is very knowledgeable about viniculture and
is keen to take over the business and continue the tradition.
We then called in on a marvelous emporium, the Alimentari Fratelli
Ciapponi, in Morbegno an old atmospheric town with an ancient bridge
over the Adda.
The shop was founded in 1883 and groaned with good things: oils, salume
a wine cantina dating from 1692 and a cellar full of cheeses. This
led us to our next stop which was literally to be the high spot of
our visit to Valtellina.
We serpentined our way around many a hairpin along the old salt road
from Bergamo to Venice until, after climbing up a path through an
alpine meadow, we reached a small turf roofed dairy. At that altitude
the fresh air tingled and a Gamelin like cacophony rang from the bells
of the grazing cows. This was where we met Camillo who leaves his
home in the valley and comes up for three months to make his Bitto
cheese. Soon the roar of a mountain bike announced the arrival of
one of his assistants with a churn strapped to his back along with
a one legged milking stool, a bit like a shooting stick. He delivered
the incredibly fresh milk into a cauldron suspended by a gibbet over
an open wood fire. The careful craft of cheese making begins with
curds and wheys. Finally, the remnants are re-heated to create ricotta.
There are other animals besides the cows. . Very shaggy goats whose
milk is included, pigs who get left over whey and a stately dog who
,not to be outdone, has a bell round his neck. The Bitto cheese is
a local delicacy. It is hard and produced in light brown discs about
two feet across and six inches thick. It gains its distinctive flavour
from the alpine flowers and herbs that the cows eat. It is formed
and dries on tables in a stone hut next door before it makes its journey
down, down to the cellar in Morbegno for further maturing.
Camillo tells us that he is the third generation of his family to
make Bitto.
Another victual to draw on alpine herbs is the Amaro digestif "Braulio"
from Bormio. This somewhat medicinal concoction was appropriately
developed by a pharmacist in 1875. The secret recipe of sixteen herbs
includes gentian, juniper and wormwood …but I mustn't give too
much away!
It was a great pleasure to discover the many tastes of Valtellina.
I hope these hard working long established family firms will go on
producing these fine foods and wine for many generations to come.
