Food & Wine - visit the producers: Villeneuve

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.

From the passion of a woman, Anna De Santis, who, while walking in the vineyards, begins to become familiar with the grapevine, its plant, its leaf until she falls in love with it, a farm was born in 2009 for the production of wine. Almost three hectares of land in Champagnolle, Villeneuve, where Anna manages the cultivation of the vineyards and the wineryby herself. The vineyards are treated in a nearly natural way, to guarantee high-quality products.
Of the four vineyards, that of Pinot Noir is located in a very sunny area with sandy soil. The result is a highly esteemed wine, a very fragrant Pinot Noir with a unique color. Two white wines and one Torrette come from the Müller, Chardonnay and Petit Rouge vineyards, respectively. All wines are single-variety vinifications.

The products
White DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines: Müller-Thurgau, Blanc
Red DOC wines: Pinot Noir, Torrette

You can buy the products at the winery.

The visit
The winery and the vineyards can be visited and it is possible to have tastings.
Cost of the visit/tasting per person: € 10.00
The company can be visited every day upon reservation at any time.
Number of visitors required for a visit: min 4 / max 20 people.
Languages spoken: Italian, French and English.

How to get there
Coming from Aymavilles, the winery is lcoated immediately after the ISA Vivai (Nursery) at the beginning of Villeneuve; arriving from Villeneuve, you can find it towards the end of the town, in the Champagnolle area.

Henri Anselmet founded the La Plantze Agricultural Company after many years spent in the vineyard and in the winery supporting his father Giorgio, of Maison Anselmet. The family history is witness, handed down by generations of men who have linked their life to the land and its fruits. The first certain trace of an Anselmet winemaker is in 1585, through a contract for the purchase of a vineyard in Villeneuve. Since then the passion for making wine has been handed down from generation to generation. In 1978 Renato Anselmet decided to continue the tradition, starting to produce wine not only for his own personal consumption but by laying the foundations for what would become in a few years one of the most important and esteemed wine-producing companies in Valle d’ Aosta.
With La Plantze, founded in 2015, the young Henri started his new adventure in full autonomy, starting out with a very promising vineyard at about 800 meters above sea level, totally managed by him. To the historic vineyard, made up of different types of indigenous vines, other international vines were then added, which brought the production from the initial 5.000 bottles to the current 20.000 bottles, with a forecast of 30,000 for 2020.
La Plantze, in patois dialect (the dialectal variant of the Franco-Provençal language spoken in Valle d’Aosta) means “the parcel”, precisely to indicate how the conformation of the territory obliges the vignerons of this region to manage very fragmented areas of vineyards. Henri’s approach to winery is very personal, based on innovation, and is distinguished by experimentation and the use of special techniques for some of his wines, such as maceration on the skins and the use of amphoras.

The products
White DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) wines: Trii Rundin (Pinot Gris)
Red DOC wines: Torrette Supérieur, Vioux (Cornalin 100%)
Other wines:
White wines: Tramontana Pinot gris, Ferox (Sauvignon), Al Mister (Sauvignon and Viognier 50%)
Red wines: El Teemp

The sales point is open from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 1pm and from 2pm to 5pm. It is also possible to buy the La Plantze wines at the shop "Lou Tsaven de noutra téra" located in Cogne in rue Doct. Grappein 61.

The visit
You can visit the winery and the vineyards, with the possibility to have wine tastings.
The company can be visited all year round upon telephone booking to be made at least 2 days in advance.
Number of visitors required for the visit: min 2, max 15 people.
Languages: 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.

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.