Foradori Brings Out the Best in Italian Alpine Grape Teroldego
Considered by most to be the most important biodynamic producer in the north of Italy, Foradori has completely changed the perception of what a natural wine can be. These are wines that make you feel the terroir like no other. I genuinely love this producer.
Nestled in the Alpine foothills of Trentino, Foradori is the master of Teroldego, the region’s most important native red grape. Elisabetta Foradori, who took over the family estate in 1984 at just 20 years old, has transformed Teroldego from an overlooked local variety into one of Italy’s most important red wines. One of the pioneers of biodynamic wines, low-intervention winemaking, and aging in amphorae, Foradori was able to give Teroldego a new identity.
Teroldego is often called the “Prince of Trentino,” a grape that thrives in the region’s high-altitude, alluvial soils, producing wines of deep color, vibrant acidity, and mineral complexity. Foradori’s vineyards are located in Campo Rotaliano, a small plateau nestled between the Dolomites. Surprisingly enough, it is one of the warmest areas of Italy in summer and it has cool Alpine breezes. This yin-yang climate allows the Teroldego grapes to achieve a balance of concentration, freshness, and structure unlike anywhere else in Italy. We have three different expressions of this grape from Foradori in stock, and they are all worth exploring.
2020 Foradori "Granato" Teroldego Vigneti delle Dolomiti $59.99 97JS 95VN Granato is the flagship wine of Foradori, first produced in 1986 as a statement on Teroldego’s potential. Named after the pomegranate ("Granata"), it reflects the grape’s deep red color, ripe fruit intensity, and floral elegance. It all comes from a selection of the vineyards in campo Rotaliano where the
soil is composed mainly of alluvial deposits and gravel. It is fermented only with native yeast and usually aged around 15 months in
neutral oak. This wine shows rich, ripe notes of blackberry, pomegranate, and crushed violets. It is so Alpine and fresh, with a balance of fruit and herbal undertones. Plush and juicy like few other wines I can name. It’s amazing with cheese and game meat.
2021 Foradori 'Sgarzon' Teroldego Vigneti Delle Dolomiti Sgarzon $39.99 96JS is aged in amphora—which may seem esoteric, but don’t be worried about it. This wine is great, I remember pouring this from a magnum by the glass in a restaurant I used to work in. I remember the face of customers at the first sip; it is surprisingly clean and precise. Elisabetta is a true magician of this grape. The amphora aging brings more energy to the wine, and it is discernably more lift than the Granato. The selection of grapes of Sgarzon comes also from a sandier vineyard that is located a little further up the hill. The vineyard here tends to be cooler. The combination of sand and cooler climates makes this wine lighter and more perfumed. You find more red fruit here, and more rose-driven aromatics than violets. Soft tannic structure and a slightly saline finish make this wine glorious if you are into Pinot Noir and similar styles of wine. Sgarzon is the most delicate and lifted of the Foradori wines, perfect for those who appreciate Teroldego’s floral and mineral nuances.
2022 Foradori 'Morei' Teroldego Vigneti Delle Dolomiti $39.99 95JS Morei, meaning “dark” in Trentino dialect, comes from a vineyard with heavier, stonier soils, producing a richer, more structured Teroldego. This wine is also aged in an amphora but delivers a completely different expression of the grape. The soil in this vineyard is denser, and as such it produces more intense wines. This wine is a festival of dark, blue fruit. It’s like an orchestra of black plums, blackberry, and graphite followed by crushed herbs instead of the floral aromas found in the other two Teroldegos. Still, the aging in amphora makes this wine lifted. It is definitely bolder than the Sgarzon, but it still is a dynamic lifted wine.