Winery
Sandro Fay
The Wines
Their Chiavennasca AKA Nebbiolo wines are delicious, fine, and sophisticated. Maybe the closest Nebbiolo comes to Pinot Noir? Seek out the Valtellina Superiore Riserva Carteria, and Superiore Costa Bassa, both from the Valgella sub-zone.
About Sandro Fay
Like many producers in this region, Sandro Fay focuses on Chiavennasca (named after the nearby town of Chiavenna) – the region’s speciality and their unique expression of Nebbiolo. In recent times, global pressures have encouraged Valtellina producers to re-label their wines as Nebbiolo – In my opinion, a real shame! Almost all of Fay’s wines come from the Valgella zone which gets little tempering influence from Lake Como, resulting in a classic alpine vine growing area when coupled with the fact that their vineyards range between 400m and 800m.
It’s also worth noting that the soil breakdown here is almost the opposite to the Langhe with literally no traces of clay or limestone. Here, it is mostly primary rock and sand which proves to work well with their climate and choice of vines. Although the region is regarded as one of the most challenging in Italy to make quality wine, Fay are highly regarded and produce an array of wonderfully food orientated wines that show vitality, racy acidity, salty minerals and lingering fine tannins.
In recent times, his son Marco (winemaker) and daughter Elena (sales & marketing) took over the reins, so it’s truly a family managed Estate.
Where in the World is Sandro Fay?
Sandro Fay is in the Valgella sub-zone of Valtellina, in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Close to the border with Switzerland.
