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Beyond D.O.P. The Aosta Valley excellences you may not know

By Friday, 25 October 2024 10:55
Aosta Valley Stefano Venturini

The Aosta Valley, or Valle d'Aosta, is home to many products that have been granted D.O.P. Protected Designation of Origin status.

Flavors based on fresh local products

This Italian region that borders Piedmont to the south and east, and France to the west, has many local excellences: jewels in the crown of a range of gastronomic products that have their strong points in the particular geographical location, the quality of the raw materials and ancient production techniques Who has not tried Fontina DOP, the authentic queen of the Valle d'Aosta cheeses made with raw, whole milk? And what about the different flavours of Formadzo DOP which is semi-sweet when fresh and strong when more mature, or the  Vallée d'Aosta Lard d'Arnad which is unbeatable on rye bread or accompanied by honey, and the Callée d'Aoste Jambon de Bosses, the king of dry-cured hams?

Ricotta cheese like you’ve never tasted it

But even outside the D.O.P. ranks, the Valle d'Aosta can boast products of excellence that bring with them the stories and flavors of this territory, together with all their quality, and they are labelled PAT, which denotes a typical food product. We are talking, for example, about Seras, a prized light-coloured ricotta cheese documented in Valle d'Aosta as far back as 1268. And by kneading the ricotta with salt, pepper, juniper, fennel and cumin we get Salignon, which is produced and distributed by some dairies in the lower Valle d'Aosta.

Dried beef, pork lard and BBQ ham

Tough to the eye, Mozetta dried beef is in fact tender and tasty, while the Tetuen salted beef udder goes well with sauces and jams. Then there is the Boudin sausage made from potatoes and lard, the secrets of which have been handed down from generation to generation and whose recipe changes from locality to locality, and another must is the delicious Saouseusse minced and seasoned Aosta Valley beef and pork lard. Among the Valle d'Aosta PATs, one that really stands out is the Jambon alla Brace of Saint-Oyen. Made in the valley of the Great St Bernard, this very high-quality cooked meat is first a brined with salt, aromas and honey, then steamed for 24 hours and finally barbecued in a wood-fired oven

DOC wines for all tastes

And to drink? All the wines from Valle d‘Aosta are under the D.O.C. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) Valle d’AOsta- Velée d’Aoste  label, which unites varieties such as Torrette, Blanc de Morgex-La Salle, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Fumin and many others. Valdostan viticulture is often considered heroic, by virtue of the particular conformation of the land, redesigned with terracing and dry-stone walls in order to grow grapes in most difficult to reach areas.  

Create your own Valle d’Aosta wine route 

This landscape, so profoundly shaped by the culture of wine, offers enchanting scenery to be travelled at leisure, admiring the dizzying rise of the Alpine massifs on one of the many treks that can be enjoyed through the region's vineyards.   If, on the other hand, you decide to assemble your own personal wine route in Valle d'Aosta, there is no shortage of wineries to choose from. And although lighter than wine - and preferred by many - the excellent sparkling local apple cider is another specialty to be enjoyed in the Aosta Valley.

Autumn is apple time in the Aosta Valley

The apple is the absolute queen of the first weekends of October, with the Flta de Pomme in Gressan (Sunday, 6 October) and the Mele Vallée market exhibition in Antey-Saint-André (12-13 October), where all the products derived from the apple can be tasted in addition to the many regional varieties. The biggest food and wine event of the year in Valle d'Aosta, however, is the Marché au Fort at the Fortress of Bard, when the impregnable fortress will be taken over on 12 and 13 October 2024 by no less than 70 producers from every corner of the region. For information: https://www.lovevda.it; https://www.fortedibard.it/eventi/prodotti-del-territorio-e-specialita-gastronomiche-al-marche-au-fort/

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