Fumin is a red grape of Valle d'Aosta, Italy's smallest wine region, high in the western Alps. It makes deep-coloured, fresh and spicy reds with dark berries, pepper and an earthy, smoky note.
Fumin is an old native variety of the valley. The name is often linked to the grey, smoky bloom on the skins of the ripe grapes, but the origin is not certain. For a long time it was used mainly in blends, to give colour and structure to wines made from Petit Rouge. By the second half of the 20th century it had become rare. From the 1990s local producers and the regional agricultural institute in Aosta helped bring it back, and today it is bottled as a varietal red.
Fumin grows in the central part of the valley, on both sides of the Dora Baltea river, around Aosta and the villages of Aymavilles, Saint-Pierre, Sarre, Villeneuve and Quart. The vineyards are steep, often terraced, on sandy and stony soils. The climate is dry and sunny in summer, with big differences between day and night temperatures.
Fumin is a late-ripening grape, so it needs the warmest, best-exposed slopes.
Young Fumin can be tight and fresh, with lively acidity. Many producers age it in oak barrels, which softens the tannins. Good examples can age for five to ten years, and the best for longer, gaining notes of leather, spice and dried fruit.
Start with a Valle d'Aosta Fumin DOC. Producers worth knowing include Les Crêtes, Elio Ottin, La Crotta di Vegneron, Grosjean, Di Barrò and André Pellissier. The wines are made in small quantities, so prices are higher than for most mountain reds, but they show a very local style.
In Valle d'Aosta Fumin grows next to Petit Rouge, Cornalin, Pinot Noir and, in the lower valley, Nebbiolo. Read our best Valle d'Aosta wines, the best Italian red wines, or browse the grape varieties index.