These are two of the smallest wine production regions of Italy. Most Ligurian wine is consumed locally thank to a thriving tourist trade for a this region that sits at the northern cresent of the Italian border with the Ligurian Sea and bordered by the Piemonte region to its North. The Val d'Aosta sits North of Piemonte on the border with Switzerland. It is a rugged and mountainous area, where viticulture is limited and quite challenging. The picture to the left gives you an idea of the vineyard situation in the Val D'Aosta. Liguria is situated to the south of Piemonte along the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea that includes the area known as the Italian Riviera. Both regions are not particular;y noted for their wines, except for local consumption by tourist and the locals. The Val d'Aosta in particular has some grape varieties that are rather unique and not found elsewhere in Italy. Petit Arvigne is one of the white wine grapes that is associated with the region. The red Fumin, Vien de Nus, Petite Rouge and Premetta are joined by the Gamay, Picotendro (Nebbiolo) and Dolcetto. The other white grapes include Prie Blanc and more common Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Moscato. Vineyards reach up to 4200ft asl and pergola training is common to the region to hel with ground heat distribution and to mitigate frost damage. Sloping hillside vineyards are the sites of choice as the lower valley floor is too fertile and moist for viticulture. There are some unusual names to the DOC's like Morgex et de La Salle, which sound very French, Donnas, Enfer d'Arvier, Torrette Nus and Chambave, likely due to its historical ties to the House of Savoy rule in past times. Unfortunately, the small production results in pricey wines but they are available in the International market. These are high acid, gently fruited wines with delicate aromatics and the reds are moderately tannic. As for Liguria, the most notable red is made from the Dolcetto grape, here called Ormeasco. There is just about 15K acres of vineyard planted into difficult steep terrain with a view of the sea. About 75% is white wine which makes sense as this is seafood country and most of it is consumed locally. One of the most famous DOC's is Rossesse di Dolceacqua, a spicy, fruity red wine. Vermentin ois the leading quality white and known here as Pigato, where it produces a criso clean white with herbal, citrus, white fruits, woodsy and mineral notes