La Crotta di Vegneron

"The Crotta of Vegneron" has seat in Chambave, calm suburb of the Valley of Aosta, alpine region of the extreme North-West of Italy that border to West with the France and to North with the Switzerland. Country of about 900 inhabitants, it is sited in the center of the Valley to 6 Km. from Saint Vincent and 20 from Aosta, situated at 500 meters of altitude.

Chambave was in the past an important economical exchanges center and a commercial point, it was also an important religious center, managed by the Benedictins with jurisdiction also to the neighboring parishes. Chambave is also a wine-producing zone of ancient traditions; the first sign on the local winegrowing goes back to 1269, even if is necessary to arrive 1494 in to find the first data historical certainties. To that period it goes back the visit of Carlo VIII King of France and Giorgio of Challant of House Savoy, during that had been served the "Clairet" and the "Passito" of Chambave. The Cooperative is born… in 1980 with about 25 partners; in 1985 with 80 partners it begins its production of 150.000 bottles. Today with 120 partners its production is of 350.000 bottles.It gathers the grapes of two important zones of production that give the name to the denomination of Chambave's origin (that includes also the Communes of Chatillon, Saint Vincent, Saint Denis and Verrayes) Nus (that includes also the Communes of Quart and Fénis). The interested zone facing to south mainly hilly(from 500 slm to 850 slm) privileged by a special microclimate with poor rainfalls (about 500mm/year)hight thermal media in the summer period.

These morphological and climatic features support excellent curve of ripening limit the attacks of the parasites of the vines. So the necessity of not much treatments.

The land situation of the wine-producing businesses even if in evolution still is characterized:

by fragmented land, the difficulty of rational mechanization and high costs of management.

The vintage 2004

3.600 quintals of grapes from 120 partners subdivided in 80% of grapes DOC and 20% of table grapes. The 35% of the total production is represented by grapes to red berry, 65% from grapes of white berry.

From these grapes they are born 19 types of wine 15 of whom are DOC and 4 are for table with a complete range of typologies, that goes from the wines for aperitif to the wines for dessert and mediation.

The business politic is voted to the exploitation of the native vines: - Petit Rouge, Fumin, Vien de Nus e quelli tradizionali: - Muscat de Chambave, Nus Malvoisie.

With the recent renewal of the to Discipline of production also others wines can use the name of DOC : - Mayolet, Cornalin e Vuillermin. The production of the business also concern on vines with internationalest names like Pinot Noir Gamay Muller Thurgau. Besides the wines, the business tradition continue in the distillery with the production of grappe of monovines, representative of the better products.