Ep. 2594 James MacNay IWA interviews Ninive Pavese of Pavese e Figli from Morgex in Valle d'Aosta | Clubhouse Ambassadors' Corner

Jan 29, 2026

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Welcome to Clubhouse’s Ambassadors’ Corner and Episode 2594 of the Italian Wine Podcast. In this episode, James MacNay IWA chats to Ninive Pavese of Pavese e Figli in Morgex, Valle d’Aosta. The episode introduces Valle d’Aosta as a winemaking region, with a special focus on the Morgex et de La Salle subzone and its growing presence on the national and international market.

These sessions are recorded from Clubhouse and reproduced here for the Italian Wine Podcast.

Key Learning Objectives:

Introduce the Valle d'Aosta as a winemaking region with a focus on the Morgex et de La Salle subzone.
Explore the daily life of a winemaker in this extreme, high-altitude area and highlights Prié Blanc, a native white grape uniquely suited to these conditions.
Explain the growth of Morgex et de La Salle wines on the national and international market.

More about today’s host:

James MacNay grew up in East Sussex, studied humanities, and holds both British and Italian passports. He began his career as a walking tour guide before moving into the wine and food trade. In 2016, alongside his partner Cinzia, he founded MacNay Travel & Wine, launching their first itinerary, Heart of the Italian Alps. A top-scoring Italian Wine Ambassador, James is among fewer than 500 IWAs worldwide. He also holds other wine qualifications and loves sharing his passion for Italian wine and culture through writing and public speaking.

Connect:

Website: https://travelandwine.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macnay_travel_and_wine/

More about today’s guest:

The Pavese e figli winery (formerly known as Pavese Ermes) is a small family-run winery located in the Alpine village of La Ruine, within the commune of Morgex, in the Aosta Valley of Italy. The vineyards are situated at an altitude of 900 to 1,200 meters above sea level, making them some of the highest in Europe. The winery specializes exclusively in cultivating the rare, native white grape variety, Prié Blanc, which thrives in the high-altitude, cool climate. They are a leading producer of Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle DOC wine known for its distinct minerality, freshness, and complexity. They also produce still, sparkling (Metodo Classico), and late-harvest (ice wine style, named Ninive) styles. The winery uses the traditional low pergola training system to protect the grapes from low temperatures.

Connect:

Website: https://www.ermespavese.it/en/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/famiglia_pavese/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aziendavitivinicola.paveseermes/

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Until next time, Cin Cin!

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