Tucked away in the heart of Italy’s Aosta Valley, La Kiuva is a high-altitude rebel with roots. This cooperative winery, born in the late 1970s, unites 50 growers who work some of the steepest vineyards in Europe—too steep for tractors, but perfect for big mountain flavor. “Kiuva” is a local word for a fall leaf bundle used as livestock feed, but it’s also a playful wink to “chi uva?” or “who grape?”—a nod to their community-first identity.

The star of the show is Picotendro, a delicate local clone of Nebbiolo that thrives in this wild alpine terrain. Thanks to the region’s Francophone roots and alpine climate, this local clone yields a lighter, silkier, and more perfumed version of the famously muscular grape. The vineyards, perched on glacial terraces and cooled by crisp mountain air, yield wines with signature lift, minerality, and elegance. Every grape is hand-harvested on 15 tiny hectares of pure vertigo.