Food & Wine - visit the producers: Avise, La Salle, Saint-Nicolas, Saint-Pierre

Cristina is a naturopath with a passion for herbs. She grows medicinal herbs and flowers at an altitude of 900 metres in the Aosta Valley, in the municipality of Saint-Pierre in the hamlet of Champretavy.
She loves wild and spontaneous herbs and organises harvesting courses and workshops to know something more about these plants, depending on the season, directly in her field or in other municipalities.
She also grows particular vegetables and small fruits with the utmost respect for the earth.

Products
Edible salts from herbs and flowers, herbal teas and seasonings, essential oils and aromatic waters, hemp seeds, berry syrups, dried vegetables and fruits, fresh vegetables and small fruits.
Products are sold:

• on Thursday mornings at the Morgex market;
• Friday afternoon at the “Terra che ride” market in Via San Giocondo in Aosta;
• on Saturday mornings directly in the field.

The visit
You can visit the field (from March/April to November), the cultivation of medicinal herbs and the surrounding meadows.
The activities vary according to the season: in spring wild herbs are harvested, in summer lavender and various distillations are carried out, and in autumn berries and roots are cultivated.
Visits must be booked at least two days in advance.
Number of visitors required for the visit: min. 5 - max. 15.
Languages spoken: Italian, French, English and Spanish.

How to get there
From Aosta take the national road S.S. 26 in the direction of Courmayeur until you reach the village of Saint-Pierre; continue in the direction of Saint-Nicolas and then turn right at the crossroads indicating the village of Champretavy. Pass the village of Champretavy and follow the road; after 3 hairpin bends you will find the field, located under the road, on the left.

La Source was founded in 2003, by the will of some young farmers, with some experience in the agricultural field and especially, in that of wine. Currently the company is owned by the Celi - Cuc family and Stefano Celi is its soul. Born in 1971, he got a diploma (agriculturalist) from the Salesian Institute of Lombriasco, and for generations his family has devoted themselves to agriculture in Valle d’ Aosta.
The company extends for about 7 hectares that have been invested in specialized DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) vineyards. The owner takes care of the vineyards and he chooses the best agronomic techniques in order to have vineyards that best express their potential.

The products
White DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines: Chardonnay, Petite Arvine and Rosé (Ensemblo)
Red DOC wines: Torrette, Cornalin, Gamay, Torrette Supérieur and Syrah
Furthermore, a “Charmant” sweet wine and an aromatized wine “Vin du Paradis”, two types of grappa and a bitter “Amaro Aosta” are produced.

A sales point is open from Monday to Saturday at the following times: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm.

The visit
Behind one of the most beautiful and famous castles in the Aosta Valley, you can visit the processing rooms, the cellar and the vineyards located in the best wine-growing areas of the valley in the municipalities of Quart, Aosta, Sarre, Saint-Pierre, Aymavilles and Villeneuve.
The company can be visited all year round upon reservation, by calling +39 0165 904038 or by email by writing to info@lasource.it at least two days before the scheduled date for the visit. It is also possible to make reservations for tasting sessions.
Price for the tasting: 20-50 € per person.
Number of visitors: max. 30 people.
Languages spoken: Italian, French and English.

How to get there
From the Aosta Ovest motorway exit, take the State Highway towards Courmayeur. Once in Saint-Pierre, shortly after the pharmacy, take the road that climbs up to the right for about 100 m and then again,at the crossroads, go to the right for another 50 m, the company is on the right.

The Cantina Di Barrò by Rini Elvira Stefania is a family-run wine grower whose production is around 18.000 – 20.000 bottles per year. The company, which celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2019, has been managing the entire supply chain independently and for three generations: from planting the vineyards to marketing the wine.
The name of the company Di Barrò in the local dialect literally means ‘from barrels/of the barrels’ and refers to wooden barrels with a characteristic shape, belonging to the Valle d’ Aosta tradition which were used in the past to take the grapes squeezed by hand directly in the vineyard to the winery, as well as for the transportation of the wine for sale. Furthermore, the word barrò also summarizes the origins of the company because it is an acronym of the first letters of the surnames BARmaz and ROssan, former owners and in-laws of the current owner who, in the 1960s, continued the cultivation of the family vineyards and were among the first to boast the certification of Denomination of Controlled Origin Valle d’Aosta Torrette.
Since 2004 the company has been based in Château Feuillet, in the municipality of Saint-Pierre, and the vineyards extend for about three hectares mainly in Saint-Pierre, but also in the neighboring municipalities of Villeneuve, Sarre and Aymavilles. There is quite a wide range of wines produced, despite the size of the company.

The products
White DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) wines: Chardonnay Vda (Valle d’Aosta) DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin), Petite Arvine Vda DOC, Pinot Gris Vda DOC
Red DOP wines: Petit Rouge Vda DOC, Torrette Vda DOC, Torrette Supérieur Vda DOC, Torrette Supérieur OSTRO Vda DOC, Fumin Vda DOC, Mayolet Vda DOC, Syrah Vda DOC
Other wines: Lo Flapì (wine from overripe grapes), Mirliflor (Classic Method Spumante)

There is a sales point at the company - opening times to be arranged by phone or by email.

The visit
The family-run business allows you to visit both the winery and the vineyards, with the possibility of tasting and buying wines during the visit.
In addition to the wines, the tastings also include typical products of the Aosta Valley.
The company can be visited all year round. A reservation in advance is required and can be made by phone or email.
Number of visitors required for a visit: max 20 people.
Languages spoken: Italian, French, English, Spanish and Portuguese.

How to get there
A5 Turin-Courmayeur motorway, Aymavilles / Saint-Pierre exit. Take the Statale (State Highway) 26 towards Courmayeur up to km 111; as soon as you pass the petrol station, turn right and leave the “Strada Statale”, and then turn immediately left (road sign: Château Feuillet); skirting a wall for a few tens of meters you will come to a gate, which is always open, and which leads to a slightly uphill dirt path; after about 150 meters on the right is the Di BarròWinery.