

WINES OF NORTHERN ITALY
3
Lombardia
There’s something quintessentially Italian about Lombardia. Perhaps it’s the cultural duality prevalent
across much of northern Italy. Maybe it’s the fact that the cuisine is as Italian as Italian can with tables
overflowing with risotto, panettone, and osso bucco. Previous eras spent under French control don’t
go unnoticed, especially in the DOCG of Franciacorta (which is as Champenoise as the Valle de la
Marne itself). The mountains that characterize Lombardia’s border with Switzerland are home to the
reknowned DOCGs of Valtellina where the Nebbiolo grape learns the meaning of the words “finesse”
and “experimentation.”