Fumin from the Italian Alps

This is a wine from the Valle d'Aoste DOC in the Italian Alps made from the indigenous Fumin grape. Viewed initially as a tough grape useful for blending, it nearly went extinct, but was saved by some enthusiasts in the 1980s who went on to make wines of quality from the grape and raise its profile. Grown and vinified carefully, Fumin can give well coloured purple ruby wines with a spicy nose, velvety texture and firm tannins. Dark ruby with a tuna meaty fruity nose, the above wine showed a sweet acid palate with fruity notes, and a sour plum acid backbone right through to the finish.