Valdaostian vineyards are spread over two slopes of a vast watershed, of which the eurolefteuro one, called Dora Baltea or Adret, is the sunniest, whilst the eurorighteuro one, called Baltea or Envers, though less sunny, is not less important. These are in turn divided into three main production areas known as the Bassa Valle or Low Valley, lying closest to Piedmont and home of DOCs of Donnas and Arnad-Montjovet; the Centro Valle between Montojovet and Aosta, enjoying the reference-standard DOCs of Chambave and Torrette; and then the Alta Valle, lying highest and harbouring the fascinating terroir of the Blanc de Morgex and of La Salle. In recent years, Valdaostian producers have made themselves widely known and respected for wines of original character and for their avant-garde technology. Moreover, until recently the region was known almost solely for its fresh, fragrant, structured and long-lived whites, expressions of the high-altitude climatic conditions, but now reds, too, are the talk of connoisseurs, reds that in not many years have freed themselves from lightness and a little roughness and gained in body and definition without loss of the original character. Toretteeuros Petit Rouge is a good example of this, but so are other autochthonous stock, among them Fumin and Mayolet, this latter being the result of a serious programme of rediscovery and revivification. There are now many high-quality cellars alongside classical reference names like Les Crtes and a series of cooperatives like Crotta di Vegneron, Caves Cooperatives de Donnas, Kiuva, Cave des Onze Communes, and Cave du Vin Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle, nor must we overlook the beneficent effects of the work of the Institute Agricole Regional di Aosta. Quite a few serious viticulteures encaveures like Anselmet, Di Barr, Marco Marti and others have contributed their share to this renaissance. The wines of many small producers stay within the region, hardly obtainable beyond the borders anyone wanting to try them is well advised to travel to the Valley . . . he or she will be rewarded by the discovery of a different sort of wine culture and by seductive prices.From the Espresso Guide to Italian Wines 2008