Ottin, is run by a man passionate about the terroir of his region, and his project is to produce wines that embody the region’s gifts. Growing up in rural 1960’s Valle d’Aosta, where subsistence farming was the norm, Elio Ottin learned the importance of conservation and of planting the right crop with the right soil. These two lessons still inform his viticulture today, as he is rigorously sustainable, with the farm’s energy being produced entirely from renewable resources. He is also deeply attentive to the particularities of soil in each of his vineyards and plants the grapes he feels are most likely to succeed there. Valle d’Aosta is Italy’s smallest region, and one of the regions where the phrase “Heroic Viticulture” truly applies. Vineyards are regularly planted at over 1000m in altitude, are incredibly steep and often terraced, and visitors frequently ask why anyone would plant grapes in such harsh terrain. The answer is because despite the challenges, the soil is capable of producing beautiful grapes that make unique, and uniquely alpine, wines.