Petite Arvine is a white grape of the Alps, grown in Italy almost only in Valle d'Aosta and across the border in the Swiss Valais. It makes dry, fresh, mountain whites with grapefruit, citrus, white flowers and a typical salty finish.
The grape is generally considered native to the Valais, where it has been grown for centuries and is one of the region's signature whites. It spread to Valle d'Aosta, which shares an Alpine climate and a French-speaking culture with the Valais, and since the 1980s and 1990s it has become one of the most important white grapes of the valley. It should not be confused with Grande Arvine, a different and much rarer Valais variety.
The vineyards are dry, sunny and windy, with cold nights. This gives ripe fruit while keeping a high natural acidity, which is the key to the style.
In the Valais, the grape is also made into late-harvest sweet wines, but in Valle d'Aosta the dry style is by far the most common.
Most Petite Arvine is fermented in stainless steel and drunk within a few years. Some producers age part of the wine in wood or on the lees, giving a fuller texture. Thanks to its acidity, the best examples can age well for five years or more.
Start with a Valle d'Aosta Petite Arvine DOC; production is small, but most wineries in the valley make one. Producers worth knowing include Les Crêtes, Elio Ottin, Rosset Terroir, Grosjean, Di Barrò, Château Feuillet and La Source.
Petite Arvine grows next to the local red Petit Rouge and Fumin, and shares its fresh mountain style with Müller-Thurgau and Riesling from the northern Alps. Read our best Valle d'Aosta wines, the Italian white wine guide, or browse the grape varieties index.