Until fairly recently, the main reason for wine lovers to visit this mountainous area was simply to stroll amongst the vineyards in the picturesque village of Trontano. Locally produced wine used to be undrinkable.

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But that changed twenty years ago, when in 1994, the main local wine maker, the Garrone family, started experimenting with the local grape variety: Prunent, first mentioned in a document from 1309; prunent is almost identical to the famous nebbiolo grape, but is native to the Val d’Ossola region.

 

A wine success story

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Starting with just 400 kilos of grapes and 300 bottles, production of Prunent has risen to 5000 bottles with grapes supplied by 60 local growers. In 2009, local wines were rewarded with Denominazione d’Origine (Designation of Origin) status. They are still very much a niche product but definitely worth the journey to Domodossola.

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You can buy Garrone’s 5 local wines, Prunent, Tarlap, Ca d’Maté, La Gera and Munaloss as well as other Italian wines at their shop which is a stone’s throw from Domodossola centre. Much more enjoyable however, is a visit to Cà d’Matè for wine-tasting; this building dates back to the 1500’s and is located in the scenic village of Oira.

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You can visit the cellar where the wine is aged and you will be accompanied around the village to discover some of its secrets and invited to try some of the delicious local cheeses. Unfortunely, they only accept groups.

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If you’re looking for accommodation in the Domodossola area, Ca d’Maté bed and breakfast is hard to beat, especially if you combine it with wine-tasting. 

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Trontano’s gorgeous vineyards are small in size but stunningly picturesque and can be reached by public transport. Take the train to Domodossola and change onto the Val Vigezzina mountain railway.

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Whilst strolling round the vineyards, look out for the hand-carved stone columns used to support the chestnut wood trellises. Most vines are very old with some dating back over a hundred years.