Valle Aosta in Italy, anyone been there?

Planning our next holiday in Italy and would like to visit Valle Aosta.

Any good reccomendations? Places to see, restaurants and wineproducers?

Thanks in advance.

Ciao
Birger

Hi Birger,

We were there in 2002, you can see the impressions still posted on the old Stratsplace forum at http://stratsplace.zeroforum.com/zeroth ... stid=12452

The restaurant recommended there (Leone Rosso, Courmayer) was very good, but that was six years ago, and the website seems defunct, so perhaps worth checking if it still exists and if still good. If you go there, I will be interested to hear impressions.

I hope you have better experiences with Val d'Aosta wines than we did...

buon viaggio,

Mike

Hi Birger,

We were there in 2002, you can see the impressions still posted on the old Stratsplace forum at http://stratsplace.zeroforum.com/zeroth ... stid=12452

The restaurant recommended there (Leone Rosso, Courmayer) was very good, but that was six years ago, and the website seems defunct, so perhaps worth checking if it still exists and if still good. If you go there, I will be interested to hear impressions.

I hope you have better experiences with Val d'Aosta wines than we did...

buon viaggio,

Mike

Hi Mike,

Thanks a lot for your help.

I think we will stay here http://www.nigritelles.com

Ciao
Birger

THE restaurant to go to if it's open and you can get to Courmayeur is La Maison de Filippo, a little outside the town in the hamlet of Entrèves. I urge you to go with a huge appetite - there is just one menu, with choices for the pasta course and the main course, however it is the starters that astound and fill you up ... they just keep bringing them over to serve yourself - first a huge selection of cold starters and then the hot ones. If you make it to dessert, the same thing happens - they just bring you them all to serve yourself! You sit on basic wooden tables (sometimes sharing with others) and it's a long session. The wine list includes local Aosta wines. This place has a reputation far and wide, and in fact the last couple of times I've been there has been on a special journey from France through the Mont Blanc tunnel for the day, having lunch there, then window shopping in Courmayeur before driving home (there's a good couple of wine shops in Courmayeur near the big car parks at the bottom).

As far as the wines go, Aosta vineyards go up very high, in fact until some new vineyards sprung up in the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain, Aosta could be considered to include the highest commercial vineyards in Europe at Morgex (going up to 1200-1300 metres). The Swiss Valais area has often disputed this, but those in the valley of Visperterminen do not go up quite as high. It is a small area with typical mountain-style wines - delicate whites and obscure reds. The Cave du Vin Blanc, the Morgex co-op (tiny) has a very good reputation and Caves de Pyrène an excellent UK importer writes a very good piece here about a visit there, which includes a visit to a great producer in Haute Savoie. There's quite a few references to Aosta wines and grapes on their site so look around. I think there are also a few other small producers that are worth looking up but it will take some research.

Hi Wink,

thanks a lot, usefull informaion.

Best wishes for a nice week-end.

Ciao
Birger

Try Roberta Anau's place :

http://www.laminiera.it

between Aosta and Turin

Try Roberta Anau's place :

http://www.laminiera.it

between Aosta and Turin

Hi Trevor,

Great thanks, looks like a nice place. Can also see they serve Kosher food

I have written to Roberta.

Ciao
Birger

No, it's not kosher. The recipes are Jewish Piedmont ..... but it doesn't mean to say that any meat is kosher.

No, it's not kosher. The recipes are Jewish Piedmont ..... but it doesn't mean to say that any meat is kosher.

Hi Trevor,

Ok, thanks.

Already got my reply from Roberta

Ciao
Birger

Try Roberta Anau's place :

http://www.laminiera.it

between Aosta and Turin

Hi Trevor,

Just booked at Roberta, 12-15 of September

Ciao
Birger

Birger
One of the guys from my Italian class is currently on his way over there in the car (as part of a significant trek across a few places). I'll quiz him for recommendations when he returns.

... and I now have som Valle d'Aosta wine in the cellar, by way of two oldish bottles of Chambave Passito (Voyat). I'm told by the person who took the other two bottles, that at least one of them is in fine shape, so might be worth keeping an eye out for if you like such curios (it's no longer produced I understand).

regards

Ian

Birger
One of the guys from my Italian class is currently on his way over there in the car (as part of a significant trek across a few places). I'll quiz him for recommendations when he returns.

... and I now have som Valle d'Aosta wine in the cellar, by way of two oldish bottles of Chambave Passito (Voyat). I'm told by the person who took the other two bottles, that at least one of them is in fine shape, so might be worth keeping an eye out for if you like such curios (it's no longer produced I understand).

regards

Ian

Hi Ian,

Thanks a lot, kind of you.

I will also visit a small producer, 10.000 bottles made each year and only one wine is made ... a Pasitto and 3 glasses in Gambero Rosso

http://www.grain-noble.ch

Ciao
Birger