It would be easy to dismiss Lombardy wine as no more than Franciacorta, the Champagne method sparkling wine that is Italy's finest bubbly. But that would be wrong. North of Milan, beyond Lake Como and deep within the mountainous passes of the transverse valley known as the Valtellina, one finds some of northern Italy's most fascinating and individualistic wines—Nebbiolos grown within tidy, stone-walled terraces carrying names such as Sassella, Inferno, Grumello, and Valgella. A sub-category called Sforzato refers to wines   More

It would be easy to dismiss Lombardy wine as no more than Franciacorta, the Champagne method sparkling wine that is Italy's finest bubbly. But that would be wrong. North of Milan, beyond Lake Como and deep within the mountainous passes of the transverse valley known as the Valtellina, one finds some of northern Italy's most fascinating and individualistic wines—Nebbiolos grown within tidy, stone-walled terraces carrying names such as Sassella, Inferno, Grumello, and Valgella. A sub-category called Sforzato refers to wines made using dried, or semi-dried, grapes, and these can be the most compelling in the region.   Less