Jeannie and Chuck Blethen were among 8 people in WNC who were given full scholarships by
Slow Food USA in New York to attend Terra Madre in Torino, Italy for one week in November of 1010.
While there, they went to northern Italy to visit high altitude, steep slope vineyards.

Jeannie & Chuck arrive at Terra Madre in Torino, Italy
after a one-hour bus ride from Milano's Melpensa Airport

People from around the world displayed their craftsmanship
and sold their wares on the main floor of Terra Madre

Foods, seeds, and crafts from around the world were available to all

Chuck & Jeannie sample cheese aged in grape pommace in the Salone del Gusto...

Our traveling companion, David Kendall, looks at a nice
presentation of Valle d'Aosta herbs and spices

Entrance to the Salone del Gusto next door to Terra Madre in Torino

Chefs prepare meals for several thousand people every day at Terra Madre

Jeannie attending a Biodynamic wine tasting

Some of the attendees in native costumes

Terra Madre is very involved politically to make good, clean, & fair food available to all peoples of the world

Terra Madre sees land grabbing as a great injustice

Stopping over-fishing of the oceans is also one of Terra Madre's campaigns.

The La Vrille B&B is a fully integrated farmstead

La Vrille's vineyards and greenhouse

David Kendall touring La Vrille's wine cellar

We visited Gianluca Macchi, Executive Director of CERVIM,
a steep slope, high-altitude vineyard owners association

We visited some of the many steep slope vineyards in northern Italy
that have been terraced for growing grapes

Here is an integrated vineyard/farm in Northern Italy - grapes, cows, potatoes,
and pasture land side by side in a field near the highest winery in Europe at 8025 feet.

One of several wineries we visited was ARPEPE

FIlling the primary fermentation oak barrels in ARPEPE Winery

Harvesting grapes and hauling them up the steep slopes in Sondrio

Isabella Pelizzatti Peregro speaking to her harvesters on the steep slopes of Valtellina

Some of the 2500 kilometers of stone wall terraces in Valtellina

View of some of the steep south facing slopes
in the village of Poggiridenti in Valtellina

Jewel of the Blue Ridge Consulting is a founding member of the Sustainable Appalachian Viticulture Institute