IndoVino is a gamble that has paid off for Mattia Citterio and his father Marino who, in the municipality of Casargo, have created a vineyard for the record books by reclaiming abandoned land to produce Valsassina’s first official wine in one of the highest vineyards in Lombardy, at an altitude of no less than 900 metres above sea level. It has a catchy name, meaning “guess”, coming from Indovero, a hamlet in Casargo where the vineyard is located. Up to ten years ago nothing was grown on the land but, unlike the rest of the valley, this spot has a unique microclimate and exposure to the sun that blesses the vines from morning to night.
“About 12 years ago, we started doing some research for the project. It turned out that most of those living in the area worked in manufacturing and metalworking, and some in the making of cheese and charcuterie products. The conformation of the valley was simply not conducive to the cultivation of the vine, not to mention the fact that it would take a good deal of effort to grow these plants at high altitude where everything has to be carried out manually”, Mattia explains.
The passion handed down to him by his father, and nurtured at hotel-management school and during years of working in local restaurants, led Mattia to finally embark on this adventure, which has a few years later borne its long-awaited fruit. The first wine was fermented in 2015 and the brand IndoVino came into being in 2019, with both a white and a red wine, characterised by a fresh taste from its fining process in steel vats. The white is a fragrant and easy drinking wine, while the red, with little tannin and a notable fruity taste, has a bright red colour and perfumed notes. “Unlike the wines from Valtellina, which are high in alcohol and full-bodied, it is finesse we seek from high altitude wines. These are wines suitable for aperitifs, but they also go well with the main meal. I like to call them 'carefree'” says Mattia.
Those once-abandoned soils in a valley with no wine-growing history now have a mantle of resistant vines, the so-called PIWI vines that are particularly robust new-generation varieties. Their exceptional resistance to disease means that the spraying can be reduced to a minimum, with consequent benefits in terms of energy savings and the preservation of the ecosystem.
Mattia and Marino are currently renovating a traditional watermill set in the vineyard. From the summer season it will be transformed into a wine bar where customers and visitors will be able to taste the wines accompanied by selected cold cuts, local cheeses and some hot dishes inspired by authentic recipes handed down from their grandparents. As in the vineyard, where all the work is carried out strictly by hand, in the kitchen great care will be taken in the selection and processing of ingredients according to traditional methods. IndoVino also offers cheer, events, and entertainments, with the small chestnut-wood amphitheatre hosting book presentations, cabaret shows and other cultural-educational and recreational initiatives in the warmer months, in cooperation with other local bodies.
The vision of the father and son team, driven by their passion for this place, has thus seen the production not only of the first wine of the Valsassina, at an altitude that has discouraged others from attempting it, but also the establishment of a multifunctional community centre that has breathed new life into this small hamlet set in a landscape of rare beauty.