Trailblazing Dolomites Winemaker Elisabetta Foradori’s Magic with Indigenous Varieties (6-Bottle Wine-Pack $295, All Included)

Elisabetta Foradori took over her family’s estate in 1984 at the tender age of 20 after her father’s sudden death. Since then, she has made elevating the native Teroldego grape — an ancient variety that thrives in the high, sunny foothills and plateaus of the Campo Rotaliano below the Dolomite peaks — her life’s work.

Over the years she has taken huge steps to perfect the operation. It began with rigorous pruning, harvesting by hand, and replacing nursery clones with massale cuttings from the oldest, best Foradori vines. On the recommendation of her friend, the Alsatian winemaker Marc Kreydenweiss, Elisabetta began the conversion to biodynamic farming practices in 2000. By 2002 the entire domaine was being run biodynamically and full Demeter certification was achieved in 2009.

This dedication over the last 30 years to restore Teroldego’s genetic diversity so that the wines would be deeper, purer, and more complex has resulted in Foradori becoming recognized as the top producer in the region.

While Elisabetta is still very much active at the winery, passing down her painstaking attention to detail and stubborn expertise while collaborating to make the most recent wines, today, it is her three children, Emilio, Theo, and Myrtha, who are evolving the winery in new directions.

After many years in the cellar with Elisabetta, her eldest son, Emilio, has headed the viticulture side of the estate for a few years now. If there were any noticeable change to the wines under Emilio it would be a slight shift toward more floral aromatics and a softer palate. Theo oversees the winery’s business and commerce from his home in Naples. Market gardener Myrtha takes care of Foradori’s farming and gradual expansion, including vegetable farming and the breeding of Tyrolean Grey cattle for cheese production.

The Foradori estate consists of close to 60 acres of vines, of which 75% are Teroldego. The vineyards are high in altitude and surrounded by mountains yet receive plenty of sunlight to ensure ripeness. The combination of unwavering attention to the vines and natural vinification has created a vibrant and elegant style of Teroldego that is as remarkable as the place that it calls home.

Included in Trailblazing Dolomites Winemaker Elisabetta Foradori’s Magic with Indigenous Varieties 6-Bottle Package are one each of the following wines:

The price includes tax and delivery, as well as a 12% discount. We will also honor a 10% discount on any bottles you might wish to add to the Wine-Aid package.

“Granato” Teroldego (Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2018) RED, Regular Price: $79

No other cuvée illustrates the brilliance of Foradori wines better than “Granato.” It is the flagship wine of the domaine that matures for 15 months in barrel. The Italian word for pomegranate, “Granato” is inspired by the charm, beauty, and intensity of its namesake Mediterranean fruit. The wine is beautifully rich and polished without pretense, and perfectly balanced by a gentle vein of minerality. The blend is harvested from the stony alluvial soils of three different vineyards of the Campo Rotaliano, with faithful adherence to biodynamic principles before fermentation in large, open-top oak casks for a truly unique and world-class wine. There are only about 1,600 cases of “Granato” produced each year.

“Morei” Teroldego (Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2019) RED, Regular Price: $56

“Morei” comes from a six acre parcel of limestone and granite rich soils of the Campo Rotaliano plateau. The vines average 30 years old. The wine spends eight months on its skins in clay amphorae (tinajas from Villarrobledo, Spain), untouched until blending. It is then rested in cement before bottling. “Morei” means dark in the dialect of Trentino and the grapes from this vineyard reflect this. Their roots plunge deep in the stones and sand of the soil carried by the river Noce giving rise to a sappy wine. Tart, chewy berries, blood orange, and heady floral scents ride a spine of juicy luxury in this captivating wine. About 1,000 cases produced.

“Sgarzon” Teroldego (Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2019) RED, Regular Price: $56

Sgarzo means vine shoot in the Campo Rotaliano. Like “Morei” the “Sgarzon” spends 8 months on its skins in clay amphorae. The vines that grow in the “Sgarzon” vineyard benefit from the cooler climate and the sandier soil that distinguishes the parcel, resulting in a more delicate wine than that produced from the stonier-soiled Morei vineyard. Currants, cranberries, spice, and moist earth highlight this elegant and energetic elixir. About 1,000 cases produced.

Teroldego (Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2018) RED, Regular Price: $32

The Campo Rotaliano is a well-demarcated geographical area, a flood plain formed by the Adige and Noce rivers recessed between the Dolomites. This entry-level wine of Foradori is from mostly sandier parcels of vines planted from 1956 to 2005 totaling around 25 acres and meant to express the alluvial soils of Campo Rotaliano. Some of the vines are still pergola-trained, while newer plantings are on wires in the Guyot style. Fermented in cement – with up to 20% whole-cluster depending on the vintage – and aged for one year in cement and wooden foudres. About 4,000 cases produced.

“Fuoripista” Pinot Grigio (Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2019) WHITE, Regular Price: $56

Forget what you know about Pinot Grigio. This is no lightweight guzzler meant to be consumed ice cold. The cuvée “Fuoripista” is at its best around the same temperature you would drink a light red wine. The wine is the result of a cooperative venture between Foradori and another biodynamic winegrower of the Campo Rotaliano, Marco Devigili. It spends more than eight months in clay amphorae in contact with the pink-hued Pinot Grigio skins for a wine that exudes heady aromas of dried flowers and melon. Don’t let its light blush of pink fool you; this is an intensely flavored wine. About 800 cases produced.

“Fontanasanta” Manzoni Bianco (Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2019) WHITE, Regular Price: $37

Manzoni Bianco is a cross between Riesling and Pinot Blanc. The grapes are sourced from about 12 acres of vineyards on the calcareous clay soils of the Fontanasanta hills above Trento. The wine sees one week of maceration on the skins in cement tanks and one year of aging in acacia wood. The result is a full-bodied white, reminiscent of Burgundy, bursting with citrus and orchard fruit yet with a focused and mineral finish with hints of saline. While gracious young, it is a wine that really comes into its own at least three years after harvest. About 2,000 cases produced.

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Posted on 2021.01.27 in Wine-Aid Packages, Italy, Trentino Alto Adige