Ossola, land of wines: an expression that may surprise those unfamiliar with this corner of Piedmont, yet one that tells of a winemaking tradition with over seven hundred years of history.
An ancient yet little-known wine-growing tradition
Compared with the nearby and more renowned Langhe, the Val d’Ossola remains a niche wine region, but no less deeply rooted for it: winegrowing here has been documented for over seven centuries, as evidenced by a will from 1309 that already mentions Prünent, the native Ossola grape variety, as wine intended for the celebration of Mass at the Franciscan convent in Domodossola.
Domodossola, the heart of the Val d’Ossola
Domodossola is the valley’s main centre, an ancient urban hub that was already at the heart of economic and social life in pre-Roman times, overlooking Ossola, a valley nestled between the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Switzerland. This is where many of the area’s wineries and wine tourism experiences are concentrated.
Wine tourism still waiting to be discovered
Wine tourism involves visiting a winery to learn about its history and values, then taking part in a tasting of wines and local products, often combined with events or traditional tourism in the area. In Ossola, this form of tourism is still growing compared with other, more established Italian wine regions, but for this very reason it offers a more authentic and less crowded experience, far from the major tourist flows.
The Valli Ossolane DOC
The Ossola wine region is now recognised by the Valli Ossolane DOC, which protects production in a clearly defined area of municipalities on the valley floor, where Prünent, an ancient clone of Nebbiolo, continues to be cultivated on the same terraced slopes described in medieval documents.
Discovering Ossola through wine
Those visiting the Val d’Ossola can easily combine discovering its villages and side valleys with a winery tasting, the most direct way to get to know a region that brings together vineyards, mountains and lakes within just a few kilometres.
A region to experience with curiosity
Those discovering Ossola wine for the first time are often surprised by the variety of landscapes contained within just a few kilometres: from the steep terraces reminiscent of the heroic viticulture of the Cinque Terre, to the Walser villages of the side valleys, passing through the lakes that surround Ossola on several sides. It is precisely this variety, together with the genuine welcome offered at wineries, that makes wine tourism in Ossola an experience unlike that offered by more prestigious wine regions.
An invitation to discover it firsthand
No description, however accurate, can replace the direct experience of walking among the vines and tasting a wine in the very place where it is made: this is why the invitation to readers remains the same, to come and discover in person this corner of Piedmont still little explored by mass food and wine tourism.
One final word: wine-producing Ossola remains a region in development, with significant room for growth for those able to make the most of its as-yet unexpressed potential.
A region still waiting to be discovered, glass by glass.
One region, many stories still to be told.
One final reflection: telling the story of such a small wine region requires patience and attention to detail, just as the cultivation of its terraced vineyards does.
One region, many stories still waiting to be discovered.
One region, many stories still to be told.
Those approaching wine tourism in the Val d’Ossola for the first time are often surprised by the small yet authentic scale of this winemaking tradition: small terraced plots, worked almost entirely by hand, that reveal a relationship with the land very different from that of the large denominations of the plains. It is precisely this authenticity that makes a winery tasting a genuinely revealing experience.
Every winery visited adds a different piece to the understanding of this wine region, still little known to the general public.
