Food & Wine - visit the producers: Arnad, Donnas

The Salumificio Arnad Le Vieux (cured meat factory) was established in the 90’s in the characteristic village of Arnad. In 2007, it was awarded I.F.S. (International Featured Standards) certification DE12/81829851 International Food Standard Version 5. The company is specialised in the whole range of typical Aosta Valley cold meats, respecting tradition and paying particular attention to the choice of raw materials, using only fresh meat in order to guarantee high quality for the consumer.

Products
Valle d’Aosta Lard d’Arnad DOP (i.e. with Protected Designation of Origin), Lardo du Pays, La Mocetta, Juniper berries coppa, Mountain pancetta, Salam cru d’Arnad, Arnàcotto, ‘Monte Bianco’ ham, ‘Monte Cervino’ ham, ‘Monte Rosa’ ham and Knuckle cooked with ‘Lardo di Arnad’ DOP.
The shop ‘La Bottega del Lardo’ is open every day from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Visit
The factory can be visited all year round upon reservation to be made by e-mail or telephone (contact: Raffaele Ferrari) at least 1 week in advance.
The visit includes the entire production cycle of the various products. Tasting sessions are also possible.
Number of visitors per visit: min 10 / max 60
Languages spoken: Italian, English and French.

How to get there
Coming from the A5 motorway, exit at the Pont-Saint-Martin toll road. Turn left and take the trunk road up to the municipality of Arnad. At the roundabout go straight on for 200 metres, the Salumificio is on the left.

The Salumificio Maison Bertolin (cured meat factory) boasts a legacy almost sixty years old; in fact, Guido Bertolin established the first slaughterhouse in Arnad in 1957. Over the years, his profession became a family heritage and the secrets were passed down from generation to generation. The quality, care and spirit that characterise the production remain unchanged and the Salumificio Maison Bertolin is a modern business and an important point of reference for the Aosta Valley food culture.

Products
Lardo d’Arnad DOP (Protected Designation of Origin), Juniper coppa, FranBon, Boudin, cured sausages made from pork, beef, horse, mixed meat and game.
The shop ‘Lo Scrigno dei Sapori’ is open all year round (apart from 25th and 26th December, 1st January and Easter Sunday) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
All the products on display in the shop can also be purchased online on the company's website.

Visit
The factory can be visited all year round (apart from on 25th and 26th December, 1st January and Easter Sunday) from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. upon reservation to be made by e-mail or telephone.
It is possible to visit, through large windows, all the production rooms and the maturing rooms, to end with a tasting session that can be tailored to the needs of each group.

Number of visitors per visit: min 1 / max 60.
Languages spoken: Italian, English and French.

Accessibility
Maison Bertolin is entirely wheelchair accessible and has a lift to access the different floors. A disabled toilet is also available.

How to get there
Coming from the A5 motorway, exit at the Pont-Saint-Martin toll gate. Follow the SS 26 trunk road towards Aosta until Fort Bard. Turn right under the motorway bridge.
From the Verrès toll gate, follow the SS 26 trunk road towards Turin until just after the town of Arnad and turn left under the second overpass.

The cooperative currently includes 50 granting members for a total of 1000 quintals of grapes.
Production is about 90.000 bottles/year. Management is totally entrusted to the cooperative, from the choice of varieties and clones, to the choice of altitude for planting and the exposure to the sun, to end with the the care of the farmland, the thinning out of the grapevines and the harvesting of the grapes.
All the vineyards are located at an altitude between 380 and 500 meters above sea level with the white and aromatic varieties positioned in the area of highest altitude, and descending, at the lower altitudes, the vineyards in which the production of wine with a greater structure and body for aging in wooden barrels.

La Kiuva restaurant offers traditional recipes and typical dishes. It is also possible to buy local products on site.

The products
White DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) wines: Chardonnay
RedDOP wines: Nebbiolo “Picotendro”, Merlot, Arnad-Montjovet Supérieur, Arnad-Montjovet

Other products:
Sparkling wines: Seigneurs de Vallaise, Traverse raverse (pure nebbiolo)
Table wines: Blanc du Mont, Rosé Mariage, Rouge du Mont
Distillates and liqueurs: Ku-Miel (honey liqueur), Picotendro grappa

There is a sales point open from Monday to Thursday from 7.30 am to 6.00 pm all day, Friday, Saturday Sunday from 8.00 am to 10 pm.

The visit
The company can be visited all year round upon reservation to be made by email, fax or telephone. It is possible to visit the winery, the vineyards and the old cellars of the company, which are made available to the cooperative in the heart of the village of Arnad. The company also organises guided tours of the hamlet of Ville, through the small village streets, up to the Vallaise Castle.
You can taste wines and local products upon reservation, even in the next-door restaurant owned by the winery.

Languages spoken: Italian and French (English and German on request).

How to get there
Enter the center of the village. At the roundabout, turn right (if you are coming from Turin) or left (if you are coming from Aosta). Follow the signs for “La Kiuva vendita vino” or “La Kiuva restaurant”.

The wine business began in 1973 with his father Cesarino, and Dino Bonin has continued it since 1987. Currently about 2.5 hectares of vineyards are cultivated, all located in the municipality of Arnad and planted in rows with Guyot-style pruning. The area is sunny and breezy, characterized by a pleasantly mild climate which favors the development of numerous types of vines. The annual production is around 12.000 bottles, divided up among seven qualities of wine, all DOP (Protected Designation of Origin), in a range that covers the complete span of a meal, from aperitifs to desserts.

The products
Vallée d’Aoste Chardonnay Dop, Vallée d’Aoste Petite Arvine Dop, Vallée d’Aoste Pinot Noir vinifié en blanc Dop, Vallée d’Aoste Chardonnay vendange tardive Dop, Vallée d’Aoste Pinot Noir Dop, Vallée d’Aoste Arnad Montjovet Dop , Vallée d’Aoste Nebbiolo Picotendro DOP, Vallée d’Aoste Merlot Dop e il Vino Bianco Lo Risolet.
Grappa

There is no store open permanently, but it is possible to buy the products directly at the winery upon phone reservation.

The visit
It is possible to visit the winery and its vineyards, located in an area where the pleasant climate favours the development of numerous types of vines.
The company can be visited all year round by making a telephone reservation (Bonin Dino) at least 1 week in advance.
Cost of the visit per person: from € 10.00 to € 15.00 depending on the number of wines and possible tasting of other typical products
Number of visitors required to make a visit: min 4 / max 25
Languages spoken: Italian and French

How to get there
Coming from A5, exit at the Verrès tollbooth, follow the SS 26 for 4 km in the direction of Ivrea. Once in the town of Arnad, at the roundabout follow the signs for the sanctuary of Machaby. After about 1300 meters, turn left onto a dead-end street.

In 1975 Pietro and Camilla started to make Fontina cheese in a small cooperative dairy in the lower Aosta Valley: today, this same dairy processes almost two million litres of milk a year, producing around 25,000 forms of Fontina ‘DOP’ (cheese with Protected Designation of Origin), in addition to fresh and matured cheese and butter.

Products
Fontina, Fresh and Matured Cheese, Flavoured Cheese, Reblec Cheese, Primo Sale Cheese, Salignun Cheese, Ricotta, Milk, Butter, Yoghurt, Desserts.
In addition to dairy production, the shop offers a wide selection of local products from the Aosta Valley. Open from Monday to Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., on Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Visit
The dairy can be visited all year round upon reservation to be made by e-mail, fax or telephone (contact Lea Vallet) at least 1 day in advance.
You can visit the dairy as well as the cheese maturing room.
Tastings are also available for a fee.
Number of visitors per visit: max 60.
Languages spoken: Italian and French.

Accessibility
The tasting room, the maturing warehouse and the shop are completely accessible to wheelchairs.

How to get there
If coming from Aosta, turn left half way along the straight road in Donnas, 20 meters after the dairy road sign.
If coming from Turin, turn right half way along the straight road in Donnas, 20 meters after the dairy road sign.

‘Bonne Vallée’ was established in the heart of the Lower Aosta Valley in Vert, a charming village located on the right side of the Dora Baltea river in the municipality of Donnas, with the aim of reviving the ancient and genuine flavours of the past.
In 1990 the first success was achieved in the rotational cultivation of the ‘potato-corn’. Furthermore, the rediscovery of an old wood-burning oven opened a new and exciting path: the production of rye bread following natural sourdough fermentation methods.
In the farmhouse surrounded by corn fields, the owners dedicate themselves to the production of baked products using various kinds of cereals, free from unnatural tampering.

Products
Rye, corn and chestnut biscuits
Pies, micòoula and farin’el bread
Wholemeal bread
The shop is open every day, except Sundays, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Visit
The farm can be visited all year round, except for in August and December, upon telephone reservation (contact: Monica Genestreti) to be made at least 10 days in advance.
You can visit the fields, the mill and the workshop; tasting is available.
Number of visitors per visit: min 5 / max 15.
Languages spoken: Italian, French and English.

How to get there
If coming from the A5 Turin-Aosta, exit at the Pont-Saint-Martin toll gate. Follow the trunk road towards Aosta. At the end of the long straight road that leads to the built-in area of Donnas, turn left and follow the signs for the hamlet of Clapey. Immediately after the motorway under pass, turn left again and follow the signs to the Chappoz farm

The municipality of Donnas boasts a tradition in the cultivation of grapes as demonstrated by numerous historical documents, including one from 1214, and even Napoleon, in May 1800, had the opportunity to learn about Donnas wine. And it is precisely to preserve these noble wine traditions that a group of winemakers, in 1971, after obtaining the Controlled Designation of Origin for Wine Certification, formed a cooperative with the specific aim of protecting and guaranteeing the quality and genuineness of their wines.
The cooperative has a processing capacity of 1.700 quintals of grapes, and production is about 120.000 bottles per year.

The products
White DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines: Pinot Gris
Red and Light Red DOC wine: Donnas Supérieur Vieilles Vignes, Donnas Napoléon, Donnas, Nebbiolo Barmet, Nebbiolo Picotendro, Larmes du Paradis
Other productions: Rouge des Caves, Blanc des Caves, Ronc (red), Donatium (red-flavored wine), Magie (sparkling rosé brut), Grappa di Nebbiolo Caves de Donnas, Dernier Soleil

There is a retail outlet with the following opening hours: from Monday to Friday 9am - 12pm and 3pm - 6pm; Saturday 9am - 12pm and 2pm – 5pm. Sale of wines and grappa.

The visit
It is possible to take a guided tour of the winery and a tourist route through the steeply sloping terraced vineyards, crossed by monorails and characteristic barmets (old stone houses built under imposing boulders).
Single visits or a visit with a maximum of 3 people (free of charge) are possible during the week from Monday to Friday during the opening hours and in accordance with the work in progress. A reservation is required if there are more than 3 people.

Tastings are possible upon reservation.
Fast tasting: tasting of 4 wines accompanied by breadsticks € 10 per person.
Slow tasting: tasting of 4 wines accompanied by cold cuts and cheeses from the Aosta Valley € 15 per person.

Languages spoken: Italian, French and English.

How to get there
PONT-SAINT-MARTIN - DONNAS ROUTE: from the Pont-Saint-Martin motorway exit, turn left onto SS26 and continue for about 3 km (we are on the state highway, on the right with a large square).
VERRES - ARNAD - HONE - BARD - DONNAS ROUTE: from Verrès motorway exit, turn right onto SS26 and continue for about 13 km (we are on the state highway, on the left).

For 396 years, a horse chestnut tree had been growing in a courtyard, becoming more and more imposing, so much so that the farmhouse all around it became commonly known as Pianta Grossa (Big Plant). In 2009, due to an illness, the 25-meter big plant was cut down. So that the strength of the tree would continue to permeate that place, Luciano, in 2014, decided to also call his newborn winery ‘Pianta Grossa’; his winery is housed in the old farmhouse.
Behind the winery is the moraine mountain with the family vineyards, growing on the steep pergola terraces where the Nebbiolo Picotendro grows.
The wine business is set in the wake of a family tradition that has been alive for three generations. The cultivation of grapevines takes place over an area of about 2 hectares with Valdostan pergola cultivation. The vineyards are located on steeply sloping terraces in the municipalities of Donnas and Pont-Saint-Martin (about 400/500 meters above sea level). The soil of glacial origin is sandy and rich in organic matter. The sand gives the wine finesse and aroma while the organic substance ensures an adequate moisture content in the soil, the necessary nutrients and a balanced biological life: necessary conditions for obtaining healthy and well-ripened grapes. The organic substance is obtained on site from the mowing of the grass that grows under the pergolas and which, left on the ground as mulch, protects it from the cold winter and from the degrading action of the summer sunlight. Thanks to the management of the soil via natural methods, our company has never had to use herbicides or irrigation. The phytosanitary treatments are carried out according to the European guidelines of the PMI (Pest Management Integrated), while for the containment of some insects (moths), the fight for sexual confusion has been successfully adopted, in the most rigorous respect of the environment.

The products
Red DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines: 396 aesculus hippocastanum Valle d’Aosta DOC Nebbiolo, Dessus Valle d’Aosta DOC Nebbiolo, GEORGOS - γεωργός Valle d’Aosta DOC Donnas.

There is a sales point open from 8 am to 8 pm from Monday to Sunday upon phone reservation (call +39 348 0077404).

The visit
Visits to the winery and vineyard tours with tastings are organized upon reservation.
Cost for the tasting: depending on the package, the tasting costs range between € 10 and € 15.

Languages spoken: Italian, French and English.

How to get there
From the Pont-Saint-Martin motorway exit go in the direction of Aosta. The winery is located on the main road on the right at the beginning of the village of Donnas.