I love mountains; maybe it’s why I moved to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado 20 years ago. And I like alpine meadows. And cities/towns  that are packed with ancient castles, churches, markets, etc. These are just a few of the reasons to visit here. And the wines of these regions, well, that’s enough to remove all doubt, you need to visit. There truly is something for everyone here.

If you’re unfamiliar with the wines of this region, it’s because there’s just not that much (high) quality wine produced here – it’s a small region, and growing conditions are challenging; also, there’s only so much to go around (i.e. for the entire world). That said, it doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of winegrapes grown here – there are – it’s just that a great deal of what’s grown is destined for supermarket-grade wines.

All of which is to say that this area has a lot of untapped potential, and, as always, it starts with the land, with the terroir, acting as the back-bone of that potential. And believe me, these regions have it, they have the (special) land; as many places in Italy do.

I’ll be exploring this area in depth during my upcoming 3 month visit (March-June, 2017). These regions, to varying degrees, are part German, part Swiss, part Italian – so it’s just cool. Because.

(photo: some wildflowers growing next door to a friend’s house in Tabernash, CO.)