Food & Wine - visit the producers: Introd, Villeneuve

The company is located on the edge of the Gran Paradiso National Park, at the entrance to the Rhêmes and Valsavarenche Valleys.
The winery led by Marco Martin is characterized by a great passion for the cultivation of the vineyard which is typical of the Valdostan vignerons.
Production has gone from the initial 1.000 to the current 60.000 bottles, thanks to the cultivation of vineyards located in various municipalities of Valle d’Aosta at an altitude ranging from 550 to 900 metres.
The range of wines is quite vast, but the winery has grown thanks to its Pinot gris.
On the one hand, the Valle d’Aosta territory - with its variety of soils, exposures and altitudes - allows the cultivation of different vines; on the other hand, the desire to experiment involves the planting of new vineyards and therefore the production of numerous labels of wine.
The important awards achieved over the years suggest that we are working in the right direction and encourage us to further improve our work, both in the vineyard and in the winery.

The products
White DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines: Vallée d’Aoste Pinot Gris, Vallée d’Aoste Pinot Gris élevé en barriques, Vallée d’Aoste Gewürztraminer, Vallée d’Aoste Muscat Petit Grain, Vallée d’Aoste Petite Arvine
Red DOC wines: Vallée d’Aoste Gamay, Vallée d’Aoste Nus, Vallée d’Aoste Pinot Noir, Vallée d’Aoste Rouge Coteau Barrage, Vallée d’Aoste Fumin
Other wines: Mistigri white wine and Heritage red wine

Point of sale: times to be agreed by telephone or e-mail.

The visit
The winery can be visited all year round upon reservation by e-mail, telephone or online. Minimum 2 people, maximum 40. It is possible to visit the winery and taste a selection of the company's wines paired with typical products - the list is available on the website of the company.
Costs of tastings:
CLASSIQUE
Tasting of 3 wines: € 15.00 per person
DECOUVERTE
Tasting of 6 wines: € 25.00 per person
AMUSE BOUCHE
Tasting of 6 wines with a platter of typical Aosta Valley products: € 30.00 per person
GOURMET
Tasting of 8 wines accompanied by a traditional Aosta Valley dish, minimum 10 people: € 55.00 per person

Languages spoken: Italian, French and English.

How to get there
Coming from the A5 motorway, take the Aosta Ovest exit. Take state highway 26 towards Courmayeur. Just after Villeneuve, take the fork for Introd. The company is located after 1.5 km.

The Glarey beekeeping farm boasts a long family tradition and practices nomadic beekeeping, following the various blooms in the Aosta Valley and in Piedmont. Currently, the farm has about 120 productive hives that are left to winter in Villeneuve. With the arrival of summer, the hives are relocated to the Gran Paradiso National Park (Rhêmes and Valsavarenche Valleys) for producing rhododendron and upper mountain wildflower honey. For the dandelion honey, the hives are taken to the Matterhorn Valley to a height of around 1500 m above sea level. The chestnut honey is produced in the municipality of Donnas whilst the lime tree honey and the spring wildflower honey is produced in Villeneuve. For the acacia honey and the honeydew honey - the only two products that are not autochthonous of the Aosta Valley - the hives are taken down to Piedmont in the municipalities of Lessolo, Strambinello and Rivarolo.

Products
High mountain wildflower honey, rhododendron honey, lime tree honey, dandelion honey, chestnut honey, acacia honey and honeydew honey.
The shop is open on the following times: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Visit
It can be visited all year round (the visit of course is definitely more interesting between June and September, during the production period) upon reservation to be made by e-mail or telephone at least 3 days in advance.
The visit includes a tour of the production areas. Between April and October the hives can also be visited, whereas the honey extraction phases can be watched in the period from June to August.
Number of visitors per visit: max 15.
Languages spoken: Italian and French.

How to get there
Coming from the A5 motorway, exit at the Aosta Ovest toll gate and head to Courmayeur on the SS26 trunk road. The farm is in the centre of Villeneuve.

The history of Maison Anselmet is not linked to the birth of the company in 2001, but it is a witness handed down by generations of men who have linked their lives to the land and its fruits: it is a story of passion, effort, work, it is the life of the Anselmet family. The first certain trace of an Anselmet winemaker is in 1585 through a contract for the purchase of a vineyard in Villeneuve. From then on, the passion for making wine was handed down from generation to generation, until the end of the seventies.
In 1978 Renato Anselmet, Giorgio’s father, decided to continue the family tradition, but to start producing wine not only for his own personal consumption, thus laying the foundations for what would become in a few years one of the most important and esteemed wine producers in the Aosta Valley: Maison Anselmet. Year after year, the vines were selected, the surface of the vineyards expanded and the production increased in terms of quantity and quality. Technical and technological innovations have been introduced, courageous choices have been made that have transformed a small company into a reference point for viticulture, not only in Valle d’ Aosta. From the 70 bottles bottled by Renato in 1978 with labels made by the same hands that worked the vineyard, Giorgio exceeded 70.000 bottles in 2008.The next milestone, ambitious but soon reachable, will be the 1.000 hectoliters, after the 100.000 bottles of 2015. The most recent date that the Maison engraves in its history is the one linked to the inauguration of the new winery in the village of Vereytaz, a facility that in the area of reception has maintained the values and characteristics of the historical buildings of the valley: recovered ‘old’ wood, ancient stone only brushed, recent wrought iron but respecting the handmade work of local artisans. In the area of production, on the other hand, thanks also to Beppe Caviola’s valuable advice and passionate suggestions, technology reigns: no frills, but all that is needed to optimize procedures and work. And the collaboration with Beppe continues, with great satisfaction, and brings increasingly comforting results.

The products
White DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines: Main et Coeur, Chardonnay Barrique, Petite Arvine, Chambave Muscat, Chardonnay, Müller Thurgau, Pinot Gris
Red DOC wines: Semel Pater, Pellerin, Henri, Fumin, Pinot Noir Tradition, Torrette Superieur, Broblan, Rune Brune

The sales point is open from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 1pm and from 2pm to 5pm.

The visit
Each guest will be taken on a tour of the cellar and vineyards, followed by a tasting. There are two tasting sessions to choose from:
Tasting of classic wines: 20 € per person
Tasting of the best crus and reserves: 40 € per person
The company can be visited all year round upon booking to be made at least 2 days in advance. For tastings and visits, fill out the form on the company's website or contact the company by phone.
Number of visitors required: minimum 2, maximum 15 people.

Languages spoken: Italian and French.

How to get there
Beyond the village of Saint-Pierre you will find the La Meridiana Hotel. Turn right onto the uphill road. After the first intersection, turn left and, after the bridge, turn right.