As soon as you enter, you are welcomed by a fresh and quiet atmosphere. The thick walls of the building naturally protect from the heat and create a cozy, almost muffled environment. It is here that the journey through the world of wine begins, not just as a product, but as a vivid narrative of Valtellina and its roots.
The exhibition is designed to : it transitions from immersive settings to interactive installations that allow visitors to recognize the typical scents of wine contained in jars to open, smell, and compare. Berries, aromatic herbs, citrusy aromas, notes that often escape those who are not experts, but that – once perceived – help to better understand what is in the glass.
An example? To smell the aroma of thyme or strawberry, and then find it – perhaps unknowingly – in a wine tasted shortly after. Small connections that make the experience more personal, more complete.
The more technical part is also striking: a sectioned barrel shows how time and wine leave traces on the wood. The deposits of tartaric acid, similar to sandpaper, are periodically removed to keep the wood alive and suitable for preservation. Next to it, a vine removed over fifty years ago. And then a transparent jar with different layers of soil: sand, stones, marl… all to visually demonstrate – that the wines from Sassella, for example, mature in just 50 centimeters of soil. Yet, from there, an extraordinary wine is born.
Each room is accompanied by explanatory texts in Italian and English, detailing what is presented. But what truly made a difference was the way Sara Missaglia guided us: her storytelling was like a journey into her world, that of wine, which she knows deeply and to which she has been connected since childhood. She moved us, carrying us along with simple and passionate words, making us feel part of something greater.
