Food & Wine - visit the producers: Aymavilles

La Cave inaugurated its production with the 1990 grape harvest.

La Cave des Onze Communes has made it possible right from the start to recover territories doomed to abandonment in time and, thanks to the union of small and medium-sized enterprises, to use the best technologies to produce only high-quality wine, focusing above all on increasing the cultivated area for DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines.
Its vineyards, located in eleven municipalities, cover an area of about 70 hectares, worked by the 160 wine growing members, and they make it possible for the cooperative to produce more than 500.000 bottles every year.

The products
White DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines: Vigne Alte DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin), Chardonnay DOC, Petite Arvine DOC, Pinot Gris DOC, Müller-Thurgau DOC, Traminer Aromatico DOC
Red DOC wines: Syrah DOC, Fumin DOC, Anciens Cépages DOC, Cornalin DOC, Fumin Barrique DOC, Gamay DOC, Pinot Noir Barrique DOC, Torrette DOC, Pinot Noir DOC, Petit Rouge DOC, Torrette Supérieur DOC, Mayolet DOC, Rosé DOC
DOC straw wine: Flétry Muscat Petit Grain DOC
Other products: table wines

Opening of the retail outlet
Monday to Friday from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm.
Saturday from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm and from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm.
Closed on Sundays and public holidays.
In July, August, September and Christmas holidays open from Monday to Saturday from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm and from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm; Sunday from 10 am to 12.30 pm and from 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm.

The visit
The company can be visited all year round upon reservation to be made by email or telephone. The visit to the wine cellar and the vineyards is enriched by a collection of antique equipment of the viticulture in the Aosta Valley. The visit can be followed by a wine tasting, or wines accompanied by local products.
Languages spoken: Italian, French, English and Spanish.

Accessibility
The cooperative is accessible and has a bathroom for disabled people, as well as convenient parking.

How to get there
Aosta Ovest motorway exit; continuing on the regional highway to the Cogne Valley, the Cave des Onze Communes is located to the left of the Aymavilles castle.

The Didier Gerbelle winery was officially founded in 2006 as a continuation of the family traditions which have their roots at the beginning of the 20th century. Didier, who graduated in oenology in 2006 from the glorious oenological school of Alba, took over the company run first by his paternal grandparents and then by his parents, and embarked on his own along the path of winemaking.
The company has about 2.8 hectares of vineyards and produces grapes that are almost in their entirety the company’s own grapes. The vineyards are located in the municipalities of Aymavilles and Villeneuve. The main vines cultivated are Petit Rouge, Cornalin (Broblanc biotype), Premetta and red-berried Fumin (authoctonous); Pinot Grigio and Gewurztraminer with white-berried grapes.
The vines are grown using the espalier systemby adopting the simple Guyot system and grown on poor and stony soils. Production is very limited and is around 15.000 bottles per year. All of the stages of production, from processing the vineyard to bottling, including subsequent marketing, are followed directly by the owner.
In 2019 Didier Gerbelle acquired the company L’Atoueyo also located in the municipality of Aymavilles, making it possible to increase and diversify the bottles produced.

The products
White DOC (Protected Designation of Origin) wines: Jeux de Cepages (blend)
Red DOC wines: Petit Rouge Vigne Plan Valle d’Aosta DOC, Torrette Valle d’Aosta DOC, Torrette Supérieur Vigne Tsancognein Valle d’Aosta DOC, Rouge Peque-na! Valle d’Aosta DOC, Fumin Valle d’Aosta DOC, VDA DOC Gamay, VDA DOC Pinot Nero, VDA DOC Rosé, VDA DOC Rouge L’Ainé

There is a sales point open from Monday to Sunday, from 3.00 pm to 7.00 pm.

The visit
You will visit the winery and the vineyards of the company, which has been family-run since the beginning of the 20th century. It is possible to taste the different wines on offer.
The company can be visited all year round, upon reservation, from Monday to Sunday, from 3.00 pm to 7.00 pm.
Languages spoken: Italian, French and English.

How to get there
Coming from the Turin - Aosta highway, take the Aosta Ovest exit. Take the road to Aymavilles - Cogne and continue on to the centre of the town (about 1 Km). The company and a winery are located 200 meters from the main square of Aymavilles; a second winery and the store are located in the hamlet Urbains n. 9.

The Les Crêtes winery was founded in 1989 by Costantino Charrère and is now managed by his family who, owners of a historic 18th-century water mill and the ancient wineries of Via Moulins, have been involved in the production of agri-food for five generations. The area devoted to the cultivation of vineyards extends for 25 hectares, and the total annual production is 200.000 bottles.
The Rifugio del Vino (Wine refuge) of Les Crêtes was founded in 2016, as an emotional tasting room, next to the historic winery, to which it is structurally connected. The Charrère family opens its doors to enthusiasts who intend to undertake the philosophy and knowledge of the world of Les Crêtes.
Rifugio del Vino, because it lies in the Alps with a reference to the typical high-altitude architecture and because it is a construction designed to protect wine, has an authentic heritage of the mountain terroir. Its profile is reminiscent of a mountain massif, the same that becomes the symbol of Les Crêtes and distinguishes its brand. Under this large covered courtyard there is space for the production of wine and a wine shop, held together by an interesting itinerary for a visit.

The products
White DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines: Petite Arvine V.d.A.(Valle d’ Aosta) DOC, Chardonnay V.d.A. DOC, Chardonnay Cuvée Bois V.d.A. DOC, Petite Arvine Fleur Valle d’Aosta DOC, Pinot Gris Valle d’Aosta DOC, Neige d’Or Valle d’Aosta DOC
Red DOC wines: Torrette V.d.A. DOC, Pinot Nero V.d.A. DOC, Syrah V.d.A. DOC, La Sabla, Fumin V.d.A. DOC, Merlot Valle d’Aosta DOC, Nebbiolo Sommet Valle d’Aosta DOC
Rosé DOC wines: Rosé Valle d’Aosta DOC

Other wines:
White wine Mon Blanc (blend of native and international white-berried grapes)
Mon Rouge red wine (blend of local and international dark-berried grapes)
Wine from Doré overripe grapes (aromatic variety with white Muscat grapes)
Neblù Brut Rosé - Classic Method Quality Spumante Wine

There is a sales point open from Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 1.00 pm and from 2.45 pm to 6.30 pm, Saturday from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm and from 3.00 pm to 6.30 pm. Closed on Sundays and public holidays, except Sundays of July and August (open from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm and from 3.00 pm to 6.30 pm).

The visit
The company can be visited all year round upon reservation to be made by email or by telephone +39 0165 902274, or on the company website. You can visit the winery and the vineyards. It is also possible to make visits with tastings in the tasting room called “Il Rifugio del Vino”, located in a very suggestive place near a vineyard with a privileged view over the city of Aosta, with the possibility of tasting local cheeses and cured meats, too.
Tasting programms are available on the website.

Languages: Italian, French and English.

How to get there
Coming from the A5 motorway, take the Aosta Ovest-St. Pierre exit. Take the state highway 507 keeping to the right at the crossroads, and continue on towards Cogne/Aymavilles until the roundabout of Piazza Chanoux in Aymavilles. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit (direction Gressan) to the village of Ferrière. The company is located 400 m on the right.