The Cave des Onze Communes

Torrette: the typical red of the region, made from petit rouge.
Torrette Supérieur: a more elaborate version of Torrette.
Fumin: a red with intense aromas.
Pinot Noir: in a classic version and a barrique-aged version.
Gamay: a light, fruity wine.
Cornalin: a local grape variety that gives well-structured wines.
Petit Rouge: another typical red of the Aosta Valley.

Its name says it all: the Cave des Onze Communes (“cellar of the eleven municipalities”) brings together winegrowers from eleven municipalities around Aosta. This cooperative, based in Aymavilles, farms 63 hectares of vineyards.

Eleven municipalities, two slopes

The eleven municipalities are Quart, Saint-Christophe, Aosta, Sarre, Saint-Pierre, Villeneuve, Introd, Aymavilles, Jovençan, Gressan and Charvensod. The vineyards lie on both banks of the Dora Baltea, between 550 and 800 metres above sea level. Many are hard to reach and are worked by hand.

Vineyards classified as DOC account for 70% of the area. In this way the cooperative helps to keep in cultivation land that might otherwise be abandoned, and to maintain the terraces. It produces 500,000 bottles a year: 25 DOC wines and two table wines.

From harvest to bottle

The work begins in the vineyard. It is the grower who decides on the quantity and quality of the crop. Once ripe, the grapes are picked and brought to the winery. Three experienced cellar masters check them.

The berries are then separated from the stalks and pressed. Next comes fermentation, which turns the sugars in the grapes into alcohol. The wine then matures in the cellar. It is bottled, and some wines continue to age in the bottle before going on sale.