ARPEPE

The Ar.Pe.Pe. winery is one of the most important and iconic wineries in Valtellina, an absolute symbol of mountain Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca) and so-called heroic viticulture. Its history has very ancient roots: the Pelizzatti Perego family has been active in Valtellina viticulture since the 19th century, but the modern winery was officially founded in 1984 thanks to Arturo Pelizzatti Perego, who decided to rebuild the family business after difficult years. The name Ar.Pe.Pe. is in fact an acronym of his first and last name. The real turning point in the company's philosophy is the idea of the “fair waiting time”: for Ar.Pe.Pe., wine must not be accelerated, but accompanied slowly until full maturity. This means very long refinements in large barrels and bottles, often well beyond the minimum time of the specifications, with releases on the market very late compared to the harvest. Today the winery is led by Arturo's sons and represents one of the purest and most coherent interpretations of the Alpine Nebbiolo. It all started with steep terraced vineyards between Sassella, Grumello and Inferno, worked exclusively by hand on dry stone walls, in an extreme landscape where every operation is tiring and slow. The peculiarity of Ar.Pe.Pe. lies precisely in the union between extreme tradition and an almost “philosophical” vision of the time: no rapid production, no oenological fashions, but wines that change profoundly over the years and tell the story of individual vineyards and vintages in a very precise way. Another distinctive feature is the choice to produce mainly long-aging wines, with the large reserves in the historic sub-areas (Sassella, Grumello, Inferno) and refinements that can last many years before bottling and marketing.