Producer Focus: Rainoldi
Let us introduce you to one of our favourite producers from Valtellina in the far north of Italy - So far north in fact it's only a hop, skip and jump to the Swiss border!
Rainoldi is a fourth generation family wine business that was founded amid a climate of poverty and emigration in the 1920s, when current owner Aldo’s great grand-father diversified his business away from cultivating cereal to that of making wine.
In the second half of the 1950s, the growth in quality began with the purchase of grapes instead of wine, just as the sale of wine in bottles replaced that in chestnut barrels. This phase coincided with expanison into foreign markets: not only Lombardy and Switzerland, but also the United States, Japan, and Northern Europe, thanks to a wider and more differentiated range of wines.
At the end of the Nineties, after completing his studies in viticulture and oenology, Aldo Rainoldi joined the company to continue the family tradition. His aim was to combine qualitative growth with respect for the environment, leading the company into the next generation.
Aldo and Michela Rainoldi act as the grandparents of the region, providing assistance to a growing range of young producers keen to channel the great potential of Valtellina - this is a rare region that shows solidarity amongst producers to push overall quality higher. Practicing organic, non-interventionist farming coupled with aging in traditional large Slavonian oak, this 100 year old winery is the region’s vanguard of quality. The rugged south face of the Alps along the border with Switzerland provides a remarkable backdrop for their operation which produces wines that are honest, pure and of the highest order.
To help you discover the Nebbiolo-based delights of Valtellina, we have put together a cracking intro pack of our favourite Rainoldi wines. Vinified in the traditional method Rainoldi’s Brut Rosé illustrates the beauty of bubbly Nebbiolo with poise and detail, undergoing many years on lees. ‘Alpi Retiche’ is a smashing entry level while the humble Rosso showcases Valtellina, walking a line between smokey, savoury alpine herbs and a core of delicious little red fruits. Their Inferno Superiore showcases the rocky appellation with ripeness, tobacco and wet stone minerality. The sublime Sassella Superiore Riserva is a pinnacle of the region, spending two years in cask and one in bottle before release. It is elegantly intense and loaded with strawberry, baking spice and violet.
Shop the Pack or read more about the Valtellina region here.
