Sforzato della Valtellina (locally known as Sfursat di Valtellina) is a DOCG appellation for powerful red wine, made with Nebbiolo grape grown in the Valtellina area in the northern part of Lombardy. Sforzato della Valtellina is made from partially dried grapes, similar to the Amarone della Valpolicella, very little known and with a production relatively small compared to the more famous Amarone.
Sforzato della Valtellina is full bodied wine, high in alcohol and with a lively acidity. It has a complex nose aromas of sweet spices (licorice, cloves and cinnamon), and mature black fruit. The notes of tar and roses gives away the main ingredient, Nebbiolo, that locally is called Chiavennasca.
The term Sforzato (or Sfursat) is derived from the traditional method of (s)forzatura delle uve, "forcing of the grapes", drying the grapes to obtain higher alcohol and greater sugar concentration.
Only the best grapes are selected for the Sforzato, damaged berries are removed as the drying process will only concentrate their difects. The whole bunches are laid out on straw mats or small baskets in well-ventilated rooms and are left for three or four months, depending on the vintage, each berry losing about 50 percent of its weight. This is mostly due to water evaporation, which concentrates the grapes' natural sugars. After fermentation, the wine spends two years in barrel and bottle.
The result is a powerful complex, rich, full-bodied red that can be cellared for several years.