Valtellina is a magical place. An Alpine valley from which come some of Italy's most appreciated red wines. Like this Valtellina Superiore Mazèr, produced by Nino Negri, a historic Valtellina company located in the province of Sondrio. The starting grapes are Nebbiolo, which here take the name Chiavennasca. The harvest is conducted strictly by hand, since the vineyards, small terraced plots, are too small to be worked by mechanical means. The result of a careful study of the territory and the 'savoirfaire' of the Nino Negri winery, the batches of grapes are selected from the different areas of the valley to obtain a wine of great balance. A small part of the Nebbiolo at harvest time is dried for a few days: the grapes are concentrated and the resulting wine is added later to the rest of the mass. A care that is amply repaid when the first glass is poured. Garnet red to the eye, this Valtellina Superiore has pleasantly spicy aromas with notes of cloves, liquorice and chocolate. In the mouth it is dry and austere, pleasantly tannic and above all very persistent. A wine to be paired with strong-flavoured dishes, perhaps game-based, or with well-aged cheeses. Also excellent with a flake of Bitto, to savour a typical product of the same territory.